The Swordmaster of Ordelia
by Soulnight
Summary: For Lysithea the existence of her two Crests is both her most frightening and the greatest secret for her to keep. So what does she do now when her second Crest is revealed to everyone upon accidentally wielding Thunderbrand? Nothing good, that was for certain.
1. Chapter 1

Lysithea took a deep breath as she looked at the desecrated corpse of the man that had tried to strike her through the fog. She, along with the rest of the Golden Deer and Blue Lions, had been separated and split up into small groups as they slowly made their way through it. Though she was more than capable in her own right, she had to be thankful to Rapheal in front of her. Despite the insufferable oaf that he was, he had served as a sufficient wall between her and their enemies. That had allowed to fight without restraint and if she was being honest, he was probably the reason she was left relatively untouched.

Honestly anything that could've went wrong in this joint mission to suppress Lord Lonato's rebellion had probably went wrong. Bandits were one thing, but to take the force of an entire rebelling army led by a minor Lord was beyond anything they had faced before. It was a life and death situation and she very much preferred to live with limited time that she had left.

The fog that surrounded them dissipated, likely due to the mage summoning having been dispatched, and Lysithea could finally see the state of the rest of the class. It was quite a miracle that they hadn't been wiped out, though the Professor could probably be attributed to that.

In addition to being an effective professor and leader on the battlefield, the Professor had also shown how he had earned the moniker of the Ashen Demon. He fought like a demon unleashed, cutting through swathes of enemies one after another as they rushed at him through the fog. His face was stoic and impassive as it usually was. For his students it was familiar if not somewhat not a comforting sight. For his enemies though it likely a nightmare for them having to fight a being, no a monster, with no emotions.

Lysithea respected him, no she admired him even, but even she had to be a bit unsettled sometimes over how little emotion he showed on his face. She could never tell what he was thinking yet he always seemed to know everything about her whenever they interacted.

Alongside her professor was Catherine. In contrast to his impassive face and calculating sword style, she fought like a beast unleashed. With a face filled with ferocity and determination the wielder of Thunderbrand cleaved through every enemy in her path. Any that stood in her way were struck down quickly by the powerful and unhinged sweeps of the Heroes relic.

As the two cut their way through the main force the rest of the students rallied up and followed them through the path they made.

"Teach really is impressive, keeping up with a Heroes Relic," Claude commented as he and Dimitri joined them. The leader of the Golden Deer knocked his bow and fired his arrow straight into the heart of a charging axeman.

"Indeed," Dimitri replied. "It is almost awe inspiring to see the two fight on the battlefield. If only we didn't have to fight these people, misguided as they are."

Lysithea glanced at Ashe who raced alongside the rest of them. Despite everything, despite the pain and fear etched on his face, he was still doing his best to fight alongside them. He continued fighting even as he shot arrow after arrow against people's whose faces he had clearly recognized. He was much stronger than he looked, but even the strongest could collapse with enough pressure. She could only hope he would get the help he needed once this was over.

No one should ever be allowed to suffer alone. If it wasn't for her parents, she would've never had the will to survive after the experiments that had been done to her.

Rapheal suddenly stepped forward and pushed her back. Lysithea bristled ready to shout when an arrow flew through the air and and embedded itself in his shoulder. She didn't waste anytime to raze the area that the arrow came from. Cover wasn't much use when you simply destroyed everything around it.

"You ok there?" Rapheal asked as he ripped the arrow out of his shoulder without missing a beat.

"Thanks for that," Lysithea reluctantly said as she worked to repair the wound on his shoulder. She was hardly much of a healer but thankfully the armor he wore around there had stopped the arrow from going too deep.

"No problem your big br- er I've got your back"

Lysithea sighed. She was probably going to regret this. "You can call me whatever you like Rapheal."

"Really? Thanks sis."

Oh, she was going to regret this. Too late to back out now.

They continued on their where the rest of the students were fighting the remnants of the rebellion. There their professor fought alongside Catherine against Lonato.

The noble was impressive, being able to hold his own against their combined but eventually his age began to show. He tired as the two quickly chipped away at his defenses and he was soon dismounted by a javelin that flew overhead, courtesy of Sylvian.

With the rest of the rebellion routed or killed and their leader on the ground, Lysithea along with a few others made their way toward Catherine who stood in front of Lonato with Thunderbrand at the ready.

"Surrender now Lonato. And face the justice of the church," Catherine demanded.

"Lonato," Ashe said.

The Lord glanced at his adoptive son. Lonato's face softened for a brief moment at the sight of him, but in the end he still picked himself off the ground with his lance his hand. "I will never surrender. Not until the church pays, not until you pay for the death of my son."

Lonato reached within his armor and pulled out a black orb. Lysithea immediately recognized the presence of magic and quickly casted a counter spell to protect herself as everyone else around was knocked off their feet by the resulting shockwave.

She was the only one left on her feet. Even Catherine had been flung backwards, being the closest to the shockwave. Her weapon had flown out of her hands and landed a short distance away from where Lysithea stood.

The orb itself didn't do much damage judging by how everyone that had been hit by it were already starting to pick themselves up, but it had been enough distraction at the Lord as he charged at the unarmed Catherine.

Lysithea was the first to move, she was the only one that could move to stop the Lord at that moment. She stepped in to intercept the charging Lord and fired a Miasma at him. In a surprising display of agility the Lord leaped over the spell. Before she could fire another one, he promptly bat her aside with the back of his spear. She was knocked onto the ground next to where Thunderbrand had fallen and felt a sharp pain came from her ribs.

"A child has no place on the battlefield," Lonato shouted as he continued charging at Catherine.

What he had just called her!?

Lysithea screamed in frustration as she summoned a swarm from off the ground to intercept him. He immediately bat the spell away with his spear only to find that the weapon was now just a jagged stick.

"Try to do something with that," she practically dared him as she smiled. It was a bit much considering that that had been the last of her spell reserves. If he actually charged her at that moment, she would be dead.

The Lord looked at her in anger which was distraction enough for Catherine to get up from off the ground and walk up to him. She tapped his shoulder, smiled as he turned to look at her, and proceeded to sucker punch him in the face. Even without Thunderbrand the woman was still perfectly capable of brawling with her fists.

Lonata glared at Catherine, spit out a tooth, and then proceeded to reply with his own punch in kind.

As the two brawled, Lysithea forced herself to get up in order to pick up Thunderbrand which had fallen near her. She had the intention of returning it to its intended wielder.

Catherine got gotten the upper hand for the moment as she blocked a strike with one arm and backhanded Lonato in the stomach with the other. However, the Lord had one more trick up his sleeve as he pulled out a knife and attempted to stab at her from above. Catherine was able to grab the hand that held the knife and stopped the blade from embedding itself into her face. However, the combined weight of the Lord's body and armor, along with an inconveniently placed rock on the ground behind her, caused her to trip backwards with Lonato still on top of her. She struggled to push back as the knife inched closer and closer to her eye.

Seeing this, Lysithea charged and held Thunderbrand over her head. The relic answered her call, the crest of Charon activated, and Lysithea cleaved through Lonato's armor with a single swipe of the blade. The man collapsed, his body giving out on top of Catherine as he bled out on top of her. Catherine pushed shoved him off and quickly got up.

"Thanks kid."

Lysithea had barely heard it along with Ashe's screaming. She was too busy trying to catch her breath and processing what had just happened to worry about that.

That feeling that that orb had given upon release. She immediately recognized it as the same magical signature as the people that had experimented on her all those years ago. Was the lord working with them, or was he simply being manipulated? She needed answers but she had just struck down the one man that could've given them to her.

She then realized that that wasn't the worst of her problems. In a fit of panic, she had taken a Heroes Relic out of a Knight of Seiros's hands, activated its power, and revealed her second crest to anyone who saw. Only those with a crest Charon could make the blade glow as it did in her hands right now.

Lysithea quickly dropped the blade and glanced behind her to see the majority of the Golden Deer and several of the Blue Lions look at her in shock. Felix in particular gave her look that was a mixture of surprise, curiosity, and even interest.

"Lysithea," Catherine walked up to the mage.

Lysithea finally realized how disrespectful it was to throw a Heroes Relic onto the floor and knelt down to pick it up. She quickly handed it back to Catherine. "I apologize for that."

"No apologies are necessary. If anything, you probably saved my life." Catherine took Thunderbrand in her hands and inspected it carefully. "That was the crest of Charon you just used?"

This was bad. This was really bad. Of course, Catherine would recognize the same crest that she had. It would be disastrous to lie to her about that.

"Yes, it was," Lysithea had no choice but to finally admit it.

"Don't you have the crest Gloucester though? Pretty sure I saw it a few times during the battle."

No point lying about that one either, not with Lorenz nearby looking absolutely flabbergasted at her. Before Lysithea was forced to answer though, she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. She looked and saw the Professor standing next to her.

"Perhaps this is a discussion we can have at another time," he said while pointedly looking at Lonato's body.

"You're right," Catherine admitted as she surveyed the remains of the battlefield. "Let's talk back at the Monastery."

Lysithea was quite grateful to her professor, he had always respected her privacy and never pried until she wished to speak, but he was only just delaying the inevitable at this point.


	2. Chapter 2

With their wounds healed, Lysithea and the rest of the students made their way back to Garreg Mach. Unfortunately for her the march was anything less than peaceful.

"So, two crests," Claude commented to Lysithea as he purposefully matched her pace.

"As if I'd speak of this with the likes of you," she bit back. She was in no mood humor to her House Leader at the moment. Unlike the professor, Claude enjoyed prying secrets out from people which never made it very easy for her to be around him considering the secrets that she kept. It also didn't help that he constantly belittled her and treated her like a child.

"Woah easy there. I was just wondering how that was possible?"

"The fact that you were chosen as our house's representative shows that the impossible can indeed happen."

Lorenz, who had been standing nearby looked, amused what she had said. Claude though hardly looked phased. Any insults she could throw against him usually seemed to just roll off his back.

"Well I am a miracle worker after all," Claude replied smoothly.

"More of an agent of chaos," Lorenz replied.

"What's the difference?"

Lysithea picked up her pace and left those two to argue. Though she found Lorenz insufferable with his talk of the nobility and the future, there were times when he served as a sufficient distraction when she needed one.

Unfortunately, that meant she got a little closer to the Blue Lions then necessary. Which might not have been a problem if not for Sylvain suddenly slowing down to be next to her.

Uh, when would these people stop bothering her? She was clearly not in a mood to deal with them.

"Hey there Lysithea"

"If this is another invitation for tea Sylvain then I have a certain spell to reply with."

The scion of debauchery held out his hands in front of him. "Woah, no need to get violent. I just wanted to see how you were feeling."

Lysithea had a hard time believing him. "Really?"

"Yea, you clearly made it an effort to hide your crests. Do you not like them?"

"I do not like them. I ahbor them," Lysithea replied. There no point in holding back her opinion on Crests now that the secret had come out. "I'd sooner be rid of them if I could."

Sylvain's smile suddenly became much more somber. It shocked Lysithea, she didn't think he could ever make an expression like that. It was almost a bit frightening. "If it makes you feel any better, so would I."

"Are you seriously bothering another girl while we're marching!?" Ingrid interrupted before Lysithea could ask him what he had meant by that.

The smile returned to his face and he turned to face Ingrid. "I was just being a gentleman and inviting her to some tea. She pushed herself so hard on the battlefield after all."

"She doesn't need your sympathy Sylvain," Felix said as he joined them. He glanced back at Lysithea. "She can clearly hold her own in battle."

"I'm not arguing with that, but there's nothing wrong with helping her relax once in a while."

"Since when is being around you ever relaxing?" Ingrid replied.

"Please must you three put on such an unseemly display so soon after battle?" Dimitri said as he joined them.

Felix grunted. "Like you can say much boar."

"Felix if you have any grievances with me then we can address them back at the monastery."

"I would sooner spar with Sylvain"

"Hey! I take offence to that."

Lysithea slowed her pace and rejoined the Golden Deer in their march. She would rather deal with Claude then have be in the middle of whatever that was.

* * *

News of her two crests spread along the Monastery like wildfire. Even if her classmates hadn't been the one to spread it, there had been several knights that had witnessed it and along with Catherine they would have to make an official report of it to Rhea.

Of course, this news would then travel to Seteth who would summon her to his office along with Hanneman.

"It is an official that all Crests a student has must be reported to the Academy," Seteth said to the two of them as they sat in his office.

Lysithea glanced at Hanemean nervously. He was more worried for him then herself at the moment. Keeping such a secret of the church could have him punished for treason.

"I take full responsibility. I was the one who refused to submit a report on her second crest," the scholar replied promptly

"No!" Lysithea quickly shouted. She wasn't going to let him be punished for her actions. "I was the one who begged him to keep my crests a secret." She had to think of an excuse, anything to get him out of this. "I blackmailed him into keeping into it," she lied.

Seteth raised an eye to that. "You… blackmailed him?"

"No, she did not."

"I did!"

"I assure you that everything I did was of my own accord. Lysithea had little say in the matter."

"Oh please I-"

"Quiet," Seteth demanded the two of them as he put a hand between his eyes. "As this has become a game of shifting blame, I'll instead ask why you wished to keep this a secret Miss Ordelia."

Lysithea shifted in her seat before answering. "Because I never wanted them."

"Why do you not want them? Are they not gifts from the goddess?"

"Gifts…" Lysithea whispered to herself as rage boiled up inside her until she could no longer hold it back. "You think this is a gift!?" she jumped out of her seat and screamed at Seteth much to his surprise. "Do you think I wanted to be experimented on!? To watch as all my other siblings died to their experiments as those mages implanted Crests in us!? Do you think I wanted to even live when I was the only one left, the only successful result of their experiments?" Her eyes became wet as tears flooded them. "Even then I was only a partial success. These crests, these gifts that I was given, are going to kill me in the next ten years!"

Despite her tears, she forced herself to remain standing. She wouldn't allow herself to collapse, even in front of Seteth. She could feel Hanneman's hands on her back as he tried to comfort her, but that mattered little to her. It was all over, everything that she had done to try and build some semblance of a stable life at the monastery was gone.

"These mages what did they look like?" Seteth asked her.

"Why!?" Lysithea asked between sobs. "Why do you need to know?"

"Tell me!" he said more firmly this time.

That caused her and Hanneman behind her to freeze. It was the first she had ever heard Seteth raise his voice like that.

She looked up and through her tears saw that his fists were clenched, and his teeth were grit. "They wore black robes and beak-like masks," Lysithea informed him. The sight of them had been embedded in her mind for all those years. "Their skin, what little I could see, was pale like a ghost's."

Seteth let out a tch, an actual tch, before sitting back down in his chair. She never thought that he could actually make such a sound. "You have gone through things that no child should."

Of course she had, that much was obvious.

"There is no point in punishing you anymore then they already have."

Lysithea's eyes widened. Was Seteth of all people actually letting her off?

"Hanneman you will be kept under probation. You will report all findings to me and there will be a Knight of Seiros monitoring your work."

Even Hanneman was being given a light punishment.

"Why are you helping us?" she asked him.

"Because I can understand some of the pain you're going through child. And I have some suspicions about that people that have done this."

"Do you know who did this?" It would be answer that she had been seeking for nearly her entire life.

"I must reconvene with Rhea first. What has been spoken shall not leave this office."

"Do you know who did this?" she asked again.

"I promise that you will be given your answer in time. There is much that we still do not know."

That hardly satisfied her, but it seemed that that was all Seteth was willing to say.

* * *

Lysithea sighed as she finally found a quiet corner in the library to sit down and read in. The last week for her had been nothing short of hectic ever since her second crest had been revealed to the Monastery. The invitations for tea she had received had nearly tripled in the last few weeks as nobles bid for her attention. Lorenz especially had gotten particularly persistent with his invitations and it was only after being chastised by Dorothea, who had just happened to have been walking nearby, that he had finally stopped.

Still, despite all the attention she had received she had been completely caught off guard when Hubert of all people had suddenly walked up to her on the way to class.

"Excuse me," he said to her. His words were polite, but his appearance and tone of voice were sending a completely different signal to Lysithea.

"What do you need?" she replied calmly. Or at least her best attempt at staying calm. To say that she was nervous was an understatement. Most tended to agree that if you had acquired Hubert's interest, then you were best off going to the chapel to pray.

Not that she would actually run to the Chapel, which was unfortunately on the other side of the Monastery, but even she had would hesitate over the idea of drawing his ire. He was a powerful mage in his own right and though she was confident she could hold her own against in a contest of magic, it was clear that he had many other tricks up his sleeve. The foul-smelling cloth that her Professor had found one day and taken around the Monastery trying to find the owner had certainly been proof of that.

"Lady Edelgard requests your presence this afternoon."

Edelgard? What would the future empress of the Adrestrian Empire and house leader of the Black Eagles need from her? "Why does she need me?"

"I am not at liberty to say."

There was no refusing a request from the future Empress herself, so Lysithea grit her teeth and forced herself to say her next few words. "I happily accept."


	3. Chapter 3

"Is the tea to your liking Lysithea?" Edelgard asked.

"It is," Lysithea admitted. It was a sweet apple blend, clearly catered to her tastes along with the cakes the future Empress had brought.

Despite her previous apprehension, tea with the house leader of the Black Eagles had actually been surprisingly pleasant. The food and drink were delicious and the conversation they had was engaging. Lysithea hadn't talked with Edelgard much since she had helped her in the library, yet it was now clear that she was someone she enjoyed interacting with.

"How have your studies been?"

"They've been good. I've recently been learning to use Dark Spikes."

"That's impressive. Dark spikes is quite the advanced spell, am I correct Hubert?"

"It is indeed Lady Edelgard," Hubert commented as he hovered nearby. "Medium grade dark magic. Quite devastating against mounted units."

"I've been wondering why you happen take up dark magic?" Edelgard asked Lysithea. "You and Hubert are the only ones to use it in the monastery."

There was a reason few students used dark magic. It was powerful but also notoriously difficult and dangerous to use. A single mistake and the spell would backfire, causing terrible suffering to the user.

"It was something that interested me in my youth." Lysithea had picked it up after years of being experimented by those mages. Even as they cut into her body she watched, she observed them, all to find ways to kill them should she survive. It was a time when she cared little about the short life she had left and so consequences of failing hardly mattered to her. By the time she had decided to live for the sake of her parents she had already delved to deeply into the art to just back out. Best to make use of everything she had after all.

"Not many children wish to take on such a dangerous field of magic."

"I'm not a child. It simply makes me feel powerful and in control," Lysithea admitted.

"I mean no offense. I admire you for taking the strength to decide you own fate."

Lysithea grinned and took a sip of her tea. She was glad that someone finally saw the effort that she had put in to get to where she was now.

A loud crash and then an ear-piercing shriek could suddenly be heard in the distance, causing Lysithea to jump out of her seat.

"What was that?" Lysithea asked.

"Hubert, I believe that was Bernadetta's door. Would you mind checking?"

"Of course, Lady Edelgard."

Hubert left leaving the two of them alone.

"How are you so sure that it was Bernadetta's door?"

Edelgard calmly sipped from her tea before answering. "This isn't the first time someone's had to break into her room to bring her out. Sometimes force is necessary to ensure that she attends class."

"I was quite certain I witnessed the Professor coaxing her out with a slice of cake." Not that Lysithea could hardly blame the girl. There's quite a lot she would've been willing to do for a bite of the delicate treat that the Professor had used to get the recluse out of her room.

"His methods are effective, but so are mine," the future empress responded confidently.

Lysithea nodded. She could understand Edelgard's method. Unlike the professor neither of them had much patience for subtlety when a much shorter route was available to them. "Sometimes I wonder where he gets his patience from."

"His time as a mercenary and his experience as a leader. He is quite fit to lead people. He'd have made a powerful ally had he joined the Black Eagles."

"He's certainly done a lot for the Golden Deer."

"Indeed. Your house's victory during the mock battle was proof of that." Edelgard put down her tea and sat up straight. "Though you certainly had a part in that."

"It is thanks to the Professor that I've grown so well in my magical studies and tactics."

"Even so, it is clear that you are a gifted individual Lysithea. You do not rely merely on the status that a Crest gives to succeed."

"I'm glad you see that. Most people don't consider the effort I put into my studies. All they usually see is my Crests."

"So, the rumors are true. More than one Crest."

Oh Sothis damnit. It was mistake to let her tongue slip like that. Even if news had spread across the monastery it would do her no good if she went around confirming the rumors.

"Why? Does that interest you?" Lysithea eyed Edelgard suspiciously. The mood had certainly soured after the one topic she wished to avoid had been brought up.

"If it makes you feel uncomfortable then I won't speak of it."

"Thank you," Lysithea replied. It was good that Edelgard knew some tact and respected her boundaries. The tea wouldn't have been as enjoyable otherwise.

"Though if you ever wish to speak about it-"

"I will not."

"Fair enough. Just know that you are welcome to speak with me anytime you want."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," Lysithea replied. She was actually considering it. Apart from the professor, Edelgard was the only other person in the academy that she actually enjoyed drinking tea with.

"I'll also make sure to bring over some cakes that my Uncle shipped from Enbar."

"Shall we meet again in a week?"

* * *

Lysithea sat in her usual spot in the library with a book on dark magic, her notebook, and a quill in front of her. She worked on the theoretic and calculations she would need to use Dark Spikes. It was only after she had fully worked out all these details that she would even attempt to cast the spell.

"It needs a surprising amount of micromanagement if it's going to hit its intended target," she mumbled to herself as she worked the numbers accordingly. Her calculations had to precise or else she would risk hurting herself in the process.

"I thought you were supposed to clean the library?"

Lysithea turned to find Cyril standing behind her. "How long have you been there?"

"About five minutes. You looked real busy so I didn't really want to interrupt until I had to."

"Oh. Sorry. I'll finish cleaning up," Lysithea replied bashfully as she put away her things. It had been her responsibility to clean up the library but during the process she had been suddenly struck by inspiration over the spell she had been learning. She simply had no choice but to act on that impulse, though it was certainly damning to have someone walk in while the library was still a mess. "Cyril what are you doing here by the way?" He was usually busy doing all sorts of chores across the entirety of the monastery, but the library was one of the few places he rarely went to.

"Seteth told me to help you clean the library," he replied.

"It's fine. I can do it myself." It was her responsibility after all even if it would take her longer than she had expected. She had been the one assigned to library duty.

"These books are heavy though. Almost as bad as those logs once you start stacking them up."

Lysithea grimaced as she was reminded of the time she had tried to assist Cyril with his chores. It had not been one of her proudest moments. "I can assure you Cyril that I will not repeat past mistakes and that I am perfectly capable of organizing the library myself."

"A request from Seteth is a request from Lady Rhea though and I do want to help you."

"You're not helping much when you're stacking the books that way."

"What's wrong with the way I'm doing them?"

"You're mixing up the authors. The books should be ordered alphabetically."

"Oh…" Cyril began to take apart the stack he had built. "I'll just help you put back the ones you stack"

"Can't you just order your stack alphabetically?" Lysithea asked. If he was so insistent on helping, then he might as well do it productively.

"I can't."

"Why can't you?"

"Well I can't read," he replied casually.

"What?"

"Never learned how."

"How old are you Cyril?"

"Younger then you. Why?"

Lysithea knew that but even then, the age difference between them wasn't particularly large. How could he have possibly dealt with being illiterate for so long?

"You need to learn how to read." It was more of a demand than a request at that point.

"It's not much of a problem most of the time. I usually just ask someone for help if I get a letter that needs to go somewhere."

"No Cyril this is a serious problem."

"I really don't want to bother people with this. I'm sure they're all busy."

"I'll teach you to read then. I can make the time to do so."

"You will?"

"Of course, we can start once we've finished cleaning up the library."

"I don't want to bother you over this."

"It's not a bother. This is how I can help you." After the previous help he had given her she was almost excited that she had found something that she could do for him.

"Well if you really want to then…"

Lysithea smiled. Cyril looked a bit hesitant, but the important thing was that he had accepted her proposal. "Trust me. With enough hard work you'll be reading in no time."


	4. Chapter 4

Lysithea was never particularly physically fit, but there were times in which the symptoms of her twin crests would flare up and that her body would be in an even worse state than what it usually was. A coughing fit, a weakness in her limbs, and a high fever, these were times in which she was completely and utterly helpless.

She always made sure to hole up in her room once the coughing starting. She refused to let anyone see her like that, mostly due to pride and somewhat for convenience. If any of the other students saw her during one of her fits they would begin asking questions about her condition, questions that she was not willing or ready to answer.

It was actually quite fortunate for her then that Seteth of all people had learned of her condition. It made it much easier for her to skip lectures and hide in her room when she had his permission and notice to do so. Of course, that didn't come with drawbacks itself, mainly Hanneman who had been sent to her room to observe her condition.

And, of course with Hanneman came Lindhart who had skipped his own lectures to invite himself into her room. Those two with their love of crests were seen together a lot nowadays, having banded together to study a common subject. Her.

"How often does this happen?" Hanneman asked as Lindhart put a glowing hand to her back as she laid on her side. The ministrations of the green haired healer had somewhat a calming effect on her symptoms though there was nothing he or any healer could do about the root cause.

"Every four to five weeks," she informed them before coughing again. It wasn't too bad. It only lasted for a few seconds and she hadn't even spit out any blood that time. There was usually some blood she coughed out during these fits that she would later of have dispose of. Thankfully she more or less had a convenient excuse for such things, but even then there was a limit to how many washcloths she could stain red before the faculty got suspicious.

"So, a monthly occurrence," Lindhart observed.

"Yes, but there's not really much of set schedule for it."

"That means you are unable to predict it?"

Lysithea shook her head. "To some extent but there are times when it comes earlier than expected. I usually just stay in my room when I feel it coming."

"And when you are out on an assignment with your class?"

If she had the energy to get out of bed to shrug, she would've. "I'm lucky that hasn't happened yet."

"Lysithea, wouldn't the results of having one of your fits on the battlefield be completely disastrous?" Hanneman asked.

"I can still use my magic."

"Yet you can hardly stand up right now," Lindhart commented.

She tried to glare at the green haired noble. It was kind of hard to do that considering his position behind her. "What would you have me do then? Stay behind and abandon the rest of my class as they go off on missions with the Professor?"

"They should at least be aware of your condition so that they can manage it when it comes."

"No," she promptly answered. Apart from the professor she refused to consider telling anyone else. Not Claude, not Hilda, not Marianne, and especially not Lorenz.

"Well its decided then. I'm transferring to your class."

"What!?" Lysithea shouted and sat up. She immediately regretted doing so as she the strain on her lungs caused to cough again, this time more fiercely with some blood.

"It was something I was considering for quite some time and your Professor seemed quite willing when I suggested it to him."

"All because of my crests I'm assuming," she replied bitterly.

"I admit, your crests were what had me first considering it at first, but upon observation of you, your class, and your professor I have found that there is much more I could gain from learning under the Golden Deer. Even without your crests there is quite a lot there to hold my interest and you need someone who knows of your condition to be ready to help when you're out on an assignment."

Despite his previous deceptions, Lindhart had never actually outright lied to her. She could trust his words it an extent even if she didn't feel completely comfortable around him.

"The professor won't just let you sleep around in class," she replied. If he wanted to join the class though then she wasn't going to stop him.

"Do you think Edelgard, Ferdinand, or Hubert would let me sleep around in class? I have my methods."

"I doubt they'll work against the Professor."

"We shall see. It will all make for an interesting experiment."

* * *

Lysithea tried to process the assignment that had been given to her by the Professor. "Um Professor," she raised her hand, "I believe I was given the wrong form."

Byleth barely glanced at her sheet from where he stood at the front of the classroom. "It's correct," he replied quickly.

"But I'm being assigned sword training." For all of Lysithea's strength in magic and tactics, she wasn't quite suited for physical combat. Even she had to admit that she was practically useless on the battlefield with any weapon apart from a bow, and even that had been gathering dust in her room since she much prefer to use her magic to strike from a sufficient distance.

"Yes, you are being given sword practice."

"Professor I believe that my time would be better spent focused on my magical studies."

"I don't know Lysithea," Claude interjected before Byleth could answer. "Teach has been teaching me how to use an axe and that's been working pretty well for me."

Claude at least was actually adequate with an axe. He could reliably use one to strike down an enemy without worrying about falling on his own two feet. She did not have such skill or luxury with a sword. "I just don't believe that swords work for me."

"You used Thunderbrand pretty well. That's a sword right?" Rapheal commented.

Byleth knocked on his desk hard. It was his way of silencing the class when needed. "Lysithea you will be given sword training."

"Can I at least ask for your reasoning professor?"

"It is best that you are able to defend yourself in case your magic runs out or an enemy is simply too close. I also have a belief that you have potential with the sword."

"This is about me using Thunderbrand isn't it?" Lysithea replied bluntly.

The professor nodded. "It's part of the reason, though I've also made it a point that everyone in the class learn to use another weapon along with their preferred form of combat. You were simply the only one remaining that didn't do so."

Lysithea crossed her arms but otherwise accepted it. "I understand." It wasn't like she didn't see the reasoning behind the Professor's words and he had never given her any reason to doubt him. Still, she couldn't feel some apprehension as to the training she was going to go through tomorrow.

After a few hours the lecture would end and the class would prepare to leave the room. Before Lysithea could finish gathering her things though, Claude would walk up to her.

"So, I heard that you had tea with the Imperial Highness the other day."

Lysithea rolled her eyes. Of course, Claude would've learned about it. He really needed to learn to mind his own business. "Yes, Claude I did."

"What did you two talk about?"

"Even if I was at liberty to talk about what we've discussed why would I tell you?"

"Because we're classmates. Hasn't Teach been encouraging us all to communicate a bit more?"

"Then you can communicate with everyone else. I see no reason why you have to pester me over things that I talk about with Edelgard."

"I'm just saying. She's been meeting with you and Teach a lot. It's definitely enough to make a guy curious."

The Professor had been meeting quite a lot over tea recently despite being in different houses. It was enough that rumors had been popping up about the two.

"Are you afraid that she might take us away from your house?"

"Hardly. If anything she should be worried about losing her classmates considering we just got Lindhart. I'm just wondering why she's so interested in you two."

"Well if you must know I quite enjoy talking with her and the Professor has always been one for an interesting conversation." It was true, despite how monotone Byleth was he could be a surprisingly easy person to talk to. Though he didn't speak much, he listened well and carefully considered each word that he spoke. This meant that the few words he did speak would have that much more impact and meaning. "Perhaps Edelgard sees the two of us as engaging company."

"If she wants engaging company then I'll maybe I'll invite myself to one of your tea parties. Keep her on her toes."

"I'd like to see you try. Especially with Hubert around."

* * *

"You're clumsy, slow, and your stance is sloppy," Felix commented bluntly as Lysithea was knocked down for the umpteenth time.

"Or maybe you're expecting too much form someone who hasn't held a blade for more than a few hours!" she bit back as she struggled to pick herself up. She held her training sword as best she could with her sweaty and shaking hands.

Why did she have to take sword lessons? And why did Felix of all people suddenly volunteer to be her training partner? She'd be much better off with someone like Dorothea who at least combined magic and swordplay. The songstress would probably also have the common decency not to knock her around while was still trying to figure out how to hold a blade properly.

"Your stance was much better when you were using Thunderbrand."

"I'm still not entirely sure what came over me when I used Thunderbrand and it doesn't change that I've never held a sword before that."

"Then go grab that and then maybe you'll actually give me some sort of challenge."

"That's a Heroes Relic. I can't just walk to Catherine and ask if I could just use it for training."

"Why not?"

"Because she has more important things to do with it." Mainly serving the church or challenging her Professor to another duel.

"How do you know that if you never asked?"

"Because I don't need to ask Felix. And I refuse to use my crest, especially for a Heroes Relic."

"You use Gloucester quite often."

"Not by choice. I can't help when it activates through my magic."

"Why don't you want to use them? Don't they give you an advantage over your enemies?"

"I have no need for my Crests, my magic alone is sufficient enough."

"Magic is not the solution to everything. What would you do against a Pegasus knight? Or someone who has gotten too close for comfort?"

"I could ask the same with you and your obsession with swords."

Felix scoffed before holding his hand out. Lysithea didn't know what to expect until a flame suddenly appeared above it.

Her eyes went wide as Felix then pointed the flame at a nearby dummy and fired it. The spell was unstable and weak, barely leaving much a scorch mark on the dummy, but in the end he had actually used magic. "Your Professor brought that to my attention. Which is why I'm having Hanneman teach me magic. If I can learn to use a spell, then you can learn to properly hold a blade."

"Fine." Seeing Felix of all people practice magic had been enough motivation for her to take up a basic stance again. If he could use a spell or two then she could at least put in that same amount of effort in her swordsmanship.

Too bad motivation was hardly a replacement for skill and soon enough she ended up getting thrown to the ground once more.


	5. Chapter 5

"Lysithea are you alright?" Hilda asked Lysithea who had her body slumped on the desk next to her.

Lysithea groaned. Everything, and she meant everything, hurt. There were bruises across her arms, legs, and even waist. All places where she had failed to block Felix's blade or had been struck by her own blade bouncing back onto her. Her arms were also sore from swinging around the fairly heavy training weapon for hours on end. So sore that she could barely muster up the will to grit through the pain and grab a quill to write with if needed. Taking notes on the Professor's coming lecture was going to be painful.

"That bad huh."

Lysithea nodded as she buried her face in her arms. There was only so much healing that Lindhart and Marianne could do. The soreness of her muscles and the sharp pain she felt anytime she shifted her weight on her many bruises were but a reminder of all the things Felix had put her through.

He was a merciless taskmaster when it came to matters of the blade and he pushed her to work her body to its very limit. Even as she was struggling to hold up her blade, he was constantly battering her with sword strikes of his own.

And if that wasn't enough, during one of their breaks he had actually caught her gorging out on cake. She had to bribe him the slice she hadn't even finished before running away. She hoped it would've been enough to buy his silence, it was a good cake and she really couldn't stand the embarrassment of him telling everyone in the academy of what he had just seen.

"Maybe you should get the Professor to let you take a break. I could find something to help you relax."

She must've looked as terrible as she felt if Hilda of all people was volunteering to help. The only person Lysithea had ever seen her help was Marianne and that was for a very good reason.

"I'm fine, I just need to… lie down… on this table… forever." Possibly until the end of time. Whichever came first really.

Byleth stepped into the classroom and took a look at Lysithea. "I see the lessons have paid off."

Lysithea looked at Byleth. "Professor I have several complaints about the student chosen to be my partner."

"Do you think my decision to pair you with Felix was wrong?"

"You did that!?"

He nodded. "I requested it of him."

"Why!?" Why did the Professor have to chose Felix of all people?

"Because you work best under pressure. I do something similar with your magic training."

The difference with that though was that she enjoyed magic studies and didn't have to worry about getting hit by a huge wooden stick while doing them. "Professor I would seriously wish you would consider pairing me with someone else."

"Petra then?"

Lysithea immediately shot up from her seat and regretted it. "No!" In some ways Petra was even worse. She was nice enough but very peculiar and issues with communication along with her ruthless tactics on the battlefield were things that Lysithea would rather not have to deal with. She had heard the rumors of the Black Eagle huntress calling Bernadetta a rabbit and chasing her around as such. The last thing the mage needed was to have a notoriously skilled hunter chase her down like prey on the practice field.

"Catherine then."

"Catherine?"

"Yes. She expressed a willingness to teach you during one of our spars."

Between Felix and Petra, Catherine might be a good alternative if there wasn't an issue with her Crests. Lysithea had no desire to use her Crest of Charon to wield Thunderbrand again. It was also clear that Catherine would want to observe the Crest herself.

"If it's because you don't like to use Thunderbrand then I'll request that she leave it behind," Byleth then suggested.

Even without Thunderbrand her crest would still activate with sufficient use of a blade, but it was better than having to perpetually use it while holding a Heroes Relic. It was also certainly better than getting mercilessly beat down by Felix again.

"That is acceptable."

"Good now onto other business." The Professor reached under his desk and pulled out a large box labeled Lost Items. He had grown a reputation of retrieving the lost items of the faculty and students, even Lysithea had to use his services once so far. "I believe this is yours Marianne." The Professor took out a book title How to Be Tidy.

Marianne for her part looked surprised, like she didn't expect the Professor to go out of his way for her when he pretty much did it everyone in the school. "Oh… Thank you Professor," she replied glumly before slowly getting up and retrieving her belongings from him.

"If you need help cleaning you could ask Hilda for help," the Professor suggested.

"Professor!" Hilda stood up. "Look I'm not against helping Marianne but there have to be other people more suited for this rather than a delicate maiden like me."

"But who better than a delicate maiden to help clean the room of another delicate maiden," the Professor argued.

"Well… uh," for once Hilda was stumped.

"Have fun you two, now let's begin class."

The Professor had been surprisingly cheeky with his words recently. It was an interesting change suggesting some sort of influence, but Lysithea couldn't quite figure who it would be that taught him to speak that way. Whoever it was certainly had quite the mouth.

* * *

The clash of steel filled the air as Lysithea swung at Catherine with her blade. She swung as hard as she could with each of her strikes, hoping to break through the Knight of Seiros's seemingly impenetrable defenses. It was only after she was pushed back by a single shove of Catherin's hilt that she finally stopped.

"Watch your footwork. The way you move your feet is just as important as your arms," Catherine informed her.

Lysithea nodded slightly as she tried to get her breath back. Compared to Felix's training, Catherine's was less painful but still just as physically and mentally intense.

It had certainly been a surprise when Lysithea had been handed a steel weapon once she had stepped in the training grounds. Despite the edge of the blade being dulled it would still do some damage if it hit, but Catherine insisted that she get used the to the weight of an actual weapon.

After a quick warmup was Lysithea's first exercise, to land just one blow on the knight with the dull edge of the blade. Catherine wouldn't even attack her, allowing her to go on a full offensive. After an hour of doing this though it was clear that she wasn't going to be landing a blow anytime soon.

Lysithea pivoted on her right foot, shifted her waist, and thrust her blade with all her might as she had seen her Professor do before. Her imitation of his form was inferior though and she ended sliding off that same foot as she failed to compensate for the momentum of the weapon. She would've hit the ground hard had Catherine not lunged forward and caught her in her arms.

"Maybe you should get a bit more practice before you try out that technique," Catherine cautioned her with a grin on her face.

"I thought I could do it like the Professor," Lysithea admitted as she stood back up.

"Honestly I don't think copying your Professor is a good idea for you. Not only are your body types different but his style is… unorthodox. It works for him, but not really anyone else."

Lysithea could see what Catherine meant. The Professor never had the formal training that the Knights or Students at the monastery would. Instead he had developed his own style through his lifetime of fighting as a mercenary. It was simple yet fierce, a style that focused on putting pressure on the enemy and cracking their defenses or baiting them to make a mistake. There were some parts about the way he fought that she could use through observation but imitating the style in its entirety would be a mistake.

"I've memorized the basic sword techniques, though they hardly seem to be much use for me," Lysithea informed her.

"Before you start using any techniques you should get your basic footwork and stances down. Those are what's important, get those down and you'll be able to hold your own with a sword." Catherine made a halfhearted swing at Lysithea who blocked it. "Honestly I don't really use those techniques myself. I just use what works."

"Then," Lysithea took a step back and blocked a weak blow to her chest, "what manuals should I be reading from?"

"None really. Studying can only get you so far. Your body has to learn from personal experience." Catherine took a step back and swung her blade overhead with a single hand. Lysithea would block it though she struggled as the knight continued to push her sword down "You're much smaller and weaker than most people. You shouldn't be trying to match my strength."

"Then what should I do then?" Lysithea asked as she used both of her arms to stop the blade from making contact with her head.

"Deflect, rather than block. Redirect your opponent's strength and momentum elsewhere." Catherine demonstrated this pushing her sword at a lower angle, which caused her blade to slide off of Lysithea's and go harmlessly to the side. "Until you build up some muscle, you're going to have to rely on that only. It'll be bad if you try to completely stop their strike."

"I understood," Lysithea replied as she pushed the next thrust downwards in an attempt to send it toward the ground. Or at least tried, the blade ended up hitting her knee and forced her to kneel down as she dealt with the pain. That was going to leave a bruise.

"It'll take you some time to get it properly, and not everyone is going to attack you the same way like I do," Catherine held out her hand. "You'll have to adjust to your opponent accordingly."

Lysithea took the hand, thanked Catherine, and used that lull to launch a sudden attack while her guard was down. Just before the blade made contact it was suddenly stopped and Lysithea felt a tight pressure against her wrist.

"Going for a surprise attack?" Catherine asked as she held Lysithea's arm in place.

"The Professor suggested I do that."

"Good advice." Catherine released Lysithea's wrist and took up a defensive stance once more. "You're still a long way off from catching me off guard though."

Lysithea took a deep breath before swinging her blade at Catherine once more.


	6. Chapter 6

"Catherine really didn't go easy on you."

Lysithea flinched as Leonie helped to apply bandages from the many gashes and bruises she had received during training. "It's preferable to being paired up with Felix at least."

"He's a bit… difficult but he's also a fun challenge. I actually beat him recently."

"How did you do that?" Leonie was skilled with a lance and knew her way around a bow, but even she would be hard-pressed to deal with Felix's skill with a blade.

"I dug a hole."

"A hole?"

"A pit trap. He fell for it after I riled him up."

"Good job." That honestly did sound like something Felix would fall for. He had probably been so focused on his and his opponent's blade that he failed to notice anything else around him. "Maybe I should try doing that."

"Don't think it'll work on him twice, but there are some other tricks I can teach you. How well can you tie a knot?"

"Adequately. Why?"

"Well snares are probably your best bet. You can even use a nice sword as a bait," Leonie said with a smile.

Lysithea chuckled. That also sounded like something Felix would go for.

"Are you two scheming without me?" Claude acted offended as he joined the two of them.

"How did your patrol go?" Leonie asked.

"No heretics lurking in the shadows. Not sure about other things though."

The note with plans for Rhea's assassination had gotten the entire Monastery in an uproar. Obviously, it wasn't something they could ignore but it was very clearly a distraction for something else. She didn't need to be Claude to figure that out. Still they had a job to do, and their class had been assigned to help out with security during the Goddess's Rite of Rebirth. They would also have to patrol the monastery before then which honestly cut into time, she could something more productive.

"What other things would we be looking for?" Lysithea asked.

"Oh, you know spooky ghosts for example."

Lysithea flinched at the mention of ghosts. "How many times must I tell you Claude. Ghosts do not exist." She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her frightened… again. She had never seen one herself and by all logic they didn't exist, but the idea of being haunted just terrified her. Especially if there was a chance that they would be the siblings that she had lost. She already had enough nightmares about her failure to protect them, she didn't need to see their fear and despair while awake.

"Not what you said when you were with Teach last night."

"He promised that he would keep that a secret!"

"He did. I just happened to overhear you two."

Lysithea lunged at Claude only to be stopped mid-way by a pair of arms hooking her under her arms.

"What were you doing wandering around at night?" Leonie asked as she held Lysithea back so that the white-haired girl couldn't throttle their house leader.

"Just fulfilling my responsibilities as a student. I can't have the rest of my Deer overworking themselves after all."

Lysithea eventually stopped struggling in Leonie's arms and let herself be returned to her seat. "He was clearly up to something malicious like always."

"You know me so well Lysithea."

"Just don't ask me for help. I refuse to get into another one of your schemes."

"Alright I know when I'm not welcome," Claude made his way out of the room though he couldn't help but turn his head just as he made it past the doorway. "And good luck with your patrol. Hopefully you won't run into those ghosts you're afraid of." He then disappeared from sight just as a Miasma flew by where he had been previously standing.

Leonie glanced at Lysithea who still busy panting from frustration and exertion. "Maybe you should work on that temper. Not going to be able to trick Felix if you get riled up first."

* * *

The cakes that from Enbar that Edelgard had brought over were fluffy, creamy, and delectably sweet. So much that Lysithea couldn't stop as she shoveled mouthful after mouthful into her mouth, long having since forgotten her manners around the future Empress.

"Are you not having some?" Lysithea took a brief break from her cakes to ask Edelgard before shoving more into her mouth.

Delicious and delectable. A life with cake was truly a life worth living for. It truly was the divine essence of the heavens and no one could convince her otherwise.

"They are a bit too sweet for my tastes," Edelgard responded as she took a sip of her tea. "I'm glad to see you are enjoying them though."

"They're delectable. Absolutely delicious." Lysithea was grateful that she had accepted Edelgard's very first invitation for tea if it meant that she could indulge herself in treats like these from now on. Her parents had not held back in indulging her own tastes back home but the treats in Ordelia territory simply couldn't compare to these.

"Enjoying yourselves?" the familiar voice of her Professor called behind her.

"Teacher!" Edelgard immediately stood up to greet Byleth who had just entered the room. For a brief second Lysithea saw the Empress's face light up before she quickly composed herself. "I thank you for accepting my invitation."

"I appreciate it. It's good to spend time with my students," Byleth replied. Though his face was composed as always, there was a notable lightness in his steps as he made his way to take a seat next to Edelgard. The two shared a brief glance before Byleth turned to speak to the other guest at the table.

"I'm glad you two have been meeting each other," Byleth addressed Lysithea. "It's good to form bonds between the houses."

"And I'm glad you've joined us Professor. You and Edelgard are both very good company," Lysithea responded.

"Enjoying the cakes?"

"They're exceptional. Do you want some?"

"I'm not a fan of sweets. You can have them."

Oh well, the Professor's loss. Lysithea continued eating as Edelgard prepared a cup of tea for Byleth. It was a rare sight to see a future Empress prepare something for anyone, but it seemed that Edelgard and the Professor were perfectly comfortable with their current arrangement.

"How have you been my teacher?"

"Busy. Helped Claude with his patrols, confiscated his laxatives, and finished grading this set of certification exams." Byleth turned to Lysithea. "You passed your Myrmidon exam by the way."

After the training she had went through with Felix and Catherine it would be a shame if she hadn't.

"I thought Lysithea would focus more on being a Mage?" Edelgard asked.

"She already passed the exams for Mage and Priest. She's a hard worker and learns quickly, which makes it easy for her to branch out."

"Thank you for the praise Professor, but I do believe it can be attributed to your skills as a teacher," Lysithea said with a grin on her face. Receiving a compliment from the Professor always made her feel a bit giddy. He was blunt and rarely minced his words, so any compliments or criticisms from him were truly genuine.

"Just speaking the truth."

"Perhaps the three of us can spar sometime if you're also picking up the blade Lysithea?"

Lysithea shook her head. "It'll be a long time before I can keep with you two in a sword fight."

"Nonsense. I can take the time to tutor you if you'd like. Though I do prefer axes, I still know my way around a blade."

"I wouldn't want to use up your time on this. Besides I already have Catherine volunteering."

"Thunderbrand Catherine? Is she training you because you can also wield the relic?"

"I don't know," Lysithea admitted. "She never mentioned it all to me and there's plenty of people more suitable to being her successor than me."

"But there are precious few that share your Crest of Charon," Edelgard commented. That was true. There weren't any other people with a crest of Charon, at least in the monastery.

"I don't believe she intends to force Thunderbrand on you," Byleth said.

"Then why does she teach me?" Lysithea asked.

"I believe that she shares a certain kinship with you."

"A kinship?"

"Yes, and also you did save her life."

"I didn't do that much."

"You did plenty and you're an excellent student. There are many who should feel honored to teach you."

Lysithea tried to hide the blushing on her face as Edelgard smiled at her expense.

"Perhaps you should hold back your praise a little teacher."

"I'm merely speaking the truth."

"But as I informed you not everyone might receive it that way."

"Ah," Byleth's eyes lit up in realization as he looked at Lysithea. "I apologize if my praise makes you feel uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine Professor," Lysithea replied as she let out a warm smile. Being around the two of them just made her feel at ease. Edelgard was surprisingly considerate and the Professor always treated her like an equal instead of a child. "Might I ask about some of the places you've been to as a mercenary?"

"Farghus was cold, Deidru was wet, and Goneril was bumpy."

"Perhaps a few more details would suffice Professor," Edelgard suggested. "Particularly about your exploits there."

Byleth nodded and would then tell the two stories of his time as a mercenary.

* * *

"Is that Seteth's sister over there?" Lysithea asked Edelgard.

After tea with the professor the two of them had been making their way across the pond to the marketplace when they saw the distinct green hair girl standing in front of it. A look at the clear reflection of the girl's face on the waters showed a sullen look on her face.

"I believe so," Edelgard replied.

"Should we go see what's wrong?" Lysithea suggested as the girl let out a deep sigh.

Edelgard stared at Flayn for a brief moment as if to consider it. "If you wish," the future empress eventually replied, though Lysithea could detect a hint of reluctance in her voice.

They made their way to the mysterious girl and Lysithea would be the first to greet her. "Hello there… Flayn."

"Hello there Edelgard and… Lysithea I believe," Flayn replied politely.

Lysithea nodded. "Is there something bothering you."

"Oh…" a wistful look appeared in the girl's eyes. "Perhaps." She sighed again as she looked out toward the pond.

"Would you mind telling us what that is?" Edelgard asked.

Flayn turned around to face the two of them. "Have you wondered what it's like to be confined?" Lysithea felt her breath catch up in her throat. "To be trapped in a small space even as you can see the place beyond it. You try to reach that other side even for just a moment, only to be sent to the depths once more.

Lysithea couldn't answer that. She could hardly even breath. Of course, she knew what that was like, she had experienced it herself. She just never knew that Flayn had been going through the same. She wanted to say something, anything to help, yet just thinking about it caused the words to just freeze up within her.

Edelgard took a step forward. "Flayn… I do know what that is like."

It was the first time Lysithea had ever seen Edelgard showing sympathy and yet the sound of her voice told her that that the future Empress was speaking honestly. Somehow, she too understood that feeling, it was something that they shared. The difference between the two of them though was that Edelgard had the courage to face it. It made Lysithea feel ashamed over her cowardice yet also admiration for the future Empress.

"You might be forever trapped in that space, but even then there are ways to decide your own fate," Edelgard continued. "To take your life into you own hands."

"So, you understand too," Flayn replied with relief in her voice.

Edelgard nodded. "I do."

"You understand then what it is like for these fish in this pond."

Lysithea sputtered. "I'm sorry what?"

"These fish," Flayn gestured toward the pond. "You understand what it's like for them to spend their entire lives here only to serve their fate as sustenance for us all. It is both sad and admirable that even in their deaths they serve for our nourishment."

"I uh… believe so…" Edelgard replied unsurely.

"How wonderful," Flayn cheered her spirits apparently lifted up. "I thought it was only the Professor who could understand, but you two, you two are also kindred spirits."

Flayn walked up to hug the two of them. As the girl wrapped her arms around them, it took all of Lysithea's self-restraint to not start blubbering in a disordered mess.

Lysithea looked up at Edelgard, who looked just as confused, before awkwardly reciprocating the hug. "Uh… sure."


	7. Chapter 7

"I hear that my sister has taken a liking to you and Edelgard," Seteth commented to Lysithea as he looked at the patrol reports she had handed to him. "She calls you two her fish friends now."

Normally the students would hand these reports to one of the other faculty or a Knights of Seiros but Seteth had requested that Lysithea meet with him in his office. It was more of a demand then a request really.

"Of course, she did," Lysithea replied plainly. She hadn't known Flayn for very long but that absolutely sounded like something she'd say. The girl's obsession with fish and the sea was only matched by her piety to the Goddess. "Do you have any news about the people… I've been looking for?" she asked as she waited for him to read the report.

"We've been investigating the Ordelia territory with your family's permission, but there has been little to no evidence of their presence there."

"I'm sure my existence and the graves of all my siblings is evidence enough."

Seteth visibly flinched at her words. "I assure you that I believe your story fully, but these… people have been alluding the church for centuries if not millennium. I have suspicions they might be in league with those threatening the Archbishop's life, but that is merely a suspicion at most. It is likely we won't find a single trace of them anytime soon."

Lysithea was disappointed but that was to be expected. They had disappeared without a trace once their experiments had been done. Had she not lived as long as she had then perhaps no one would've heard a thing about them.

"Your house hasn't found any suspicious activity?" he asked once he was done.

"No, and we've been thorough with our patrol routes." At least she had been. Hilda and Marianne were a bit more questionable when they weren't paired together.

"Good. Continue remaining vigilant. As the Rite of Rebirth gets closer so does the chances that our enemies will strike," Seteth filed the form away and looked at her carefully. "I'm grateful that you've spent time with my sister. She's been somewhat lonely since arriving at the Monastery"

"You're welcome. She's seems like a very nice person." Peculiarities aside. Lysithea had only talked with Flayn a few times so far and yet somehow the girl seemed both naïve and wise beyond her years. She was a bit of a contradiction really.

"That she is. Kind to fault really. I constantly worry for her, especially with recent events."

"I'm sure her safety is assured in the monastery. I along with the rest of the students here are fully capable of protecting her," Lysithea replied confidently.

"Excellent then," Seteth responded. "I have something to ask of you."

"What is it?" If Seteth was actually willing to give her a personal assignment then, depending on what it was, she would take it to prove her worth as a student.

"Flayn has expressed a desire to more extensively explore the monastery. I do not have the time to always be with her, so I wish for you and Edelgard to ensure her safety and ensure that she stays within the monastery walls."

So Seteth wanted her and the future Empress of the Adrestian Empire to act as glorified bodyguards for his sister. Well that was certainly a show of nepotism at its finest then.

"Perhaps there would be others more suited to the role?" Lysithea simply didn't have the time to do that. There was still so much she had to do, countless books and reports that she planned to read through and study.

"She would not agree nor be fond of a knight escorting her. She is however fond of you two and the two of you will also serve as sufficient obstacles for any… boys that wish to seek her affections."

Wow. Granted if any of Lysithea's younger siblings had survived then she'd also be protective of them but Seteth seemed to take this a notch too far. It certainly explained some of the looks Seteth shot the Professor every time he had gone fishing with his sister.

"You will of course be compensated for your time and you being with Flayn also serves another purpose," Seteth continued.

"And that is?"

"My sister is a skilled healer in her own right. She'll be able to keep an eye on your… condition and provide treatment when necessary."

"That's… quite considerate of you."

"It is my duty to ensure the welfare of the students here. I'll provide what aid I can, but I need you to be honest with me. Have your fits been getting worse?"

It wasn't surprising that Seteth would know of her fits with Hanneman having to constantly report to him.

"They've been happening less frequently… but the coughing has been getting more intense," Lysithea admitted. "I've also been getting less time or warning of when they come."

"Are you still in condition to go out on assignments?"

"Outside of my fits I'm still fully capable both physically and mentally. I won't be burden on the battlefield."

"You are far from a burden, if anything I believe you've taken up too much on your plate. It is why I sent Cyril to assist you."

"Honestly, you should be more worried about Cyril. He does more work than everyone else in the monastery."

"I have addressed that issue with him, multiple times."

"And yet he's still at it."

Seteth sighed. "Unfortunately, it's not in my place to make his choices for him and he convinced that he's satisfied with devoting his life to Rhea. Though I appreciate and admire it, I do wish that he would find other motivations aside from that."

"You really want to help him, don't you?"

"If there were something he desired then I and the church would support him in any way we could."

"We just have to find him something to be passionate about then."

"Indeed." Seteth began rubbing his chin in contemplation. "Though what that would be, I cannot say."

"Maybe you could have the Professor help him."

Seteth looked at her curiously. "And how would you believe that Professor Eisner would be able to help him?" It wasn't condescending or doubting in any way, it was just a genuine question.

"Well, the Professor has just been helping my entire class and even the students outside of our classes. He listens to us, helps us, and shows us how to be our best. You can even ask the rest of us, we all appreciate the things that he does."

"You think highly of him," Seteth observed.

"I do. He's the best teacher I've ever had." Lysithea had several private tutors before she had gone to the Monastery. Though they were perfectly competent in their fields they simply couldn't prepare her the same way that the Professor had done for her. There was so much she had learned under him and so much more to learn.

"Then perhaps Cyril would be best joining the Golden Deer as a student."

It was an excellent idea. If there was anyone that could get through to Cyril it would be the Professor. Lysithea would've been completely behind it had there not been one issue. "He doesn't know how to read though."

Seteth's eyes shot up like Bernedetta's every time she ran into Hubert. "Are you certain?"

"I am. I've been teaching him actually. He's been working hard, but he'll still need a bit of time before he's ready."

"This is an unacceptable oversight," Seteth began mumbling to himself. "I always thought- I didn't think that- no I only have myself to blame for missing something so important."

"Um Seteth?"

"I am deeply sorry for making such an error. Rest assured that the proper tutors will be provided to him to give him the skills he needs to join your house."

On one hand Lysithea was actually going to miss teaching Cyril. She enjoyed acting as a teacher to him and he was a great student, but she was also glad that he would finally get the education that he needed. Every person should have the chance to learn after all.

"Now onto one last piece of business. I've been hearing reports from the chefs in the Mess Hall about your dietary choices."

"I always finish my plate," Lysithea replied quickly as beads of sweat gathered at the back of her neck. She had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going.

"And yet your diet consists primarily on sugar and dairy, with very little meat, vegetables, or fish."

"I- It's not a problem," Lysithea stammered nervously.

"Have you not considered that such an unbalanced diet might be a contributing factor to your condition?"

"I assure you Seteth that I will continue having fits, even if I eat all my greens."

"Perhaps, but the first step to improving your body is a proper diet and you have been forgoing that for too long."

"I'm sure that we can be reasonable here." She could add some fruit and maybe some nuts to her meals. That would satisfy him right?

"From now on the chefs shall prepare personal meals for you upon my request. Until you improve your eating habits you will no longer be able to request dishes from the kitchen. Your Professor will also be informed of this should he wishes to dine with you in the future."

"But-"

"That is all."

Oh dear Sothis, this was going to be nightmare.


	8. Chapter 8

For most of her entire free life Lysithea had lived with the looming threat of a quick death before her, but it was never quite so present until now.

She wasn't going to make it. Today would be the day the day she perished. She knew that she wouldn't live long but she never thought that this would be what finished her.

A fish pie, a disgusting amalgamation of vegetables, pastry, and fish. It had no right to be a pie. Pie was supposed to buttery, flaky, sweet, and served with most brilliant side of peach currant sorbet. But this "pie" was but a monstrosity that should have no right to exist.

She set her down her fork and tried her best not to gag as the poison went down her throat. Even now she could feel it overwhelming each and every one of her senses.

Why in the Church's name was Flayn able to eat not one but two of the accursed abominations? There was something wrong with her. In fact, there was something wrong with anyone that liked fish. It was just slimy, smelly, and disgusting. There was no redeeming factor to eating it whatsoever.

"You look like you're really pushing yourself," Hilda commented from Lysithea's right.

"It isn't good to be picky with your food. You never know when you're getting your next bite to eat," Leonie commented from her left.

"Do you not enjoy it?' Flayn asked across from her.

"I'm full. You can have the rest of this," Lysithea said as she pushed her half-finished plate toward Flayn. She had gotten somewhat irritable around the green haired girl after she and Edelgard had to serve as her guide for most of that morning. At this point she was tired of Flayn, fish, and Flayn's obsession with fish.

"I would but my brother has requested that I inform him about whether or not you finish your food," Flayn replied way too cheerfully. "He also asked me to inform you that every plate you leave unfinished is another day you won't see a slice of cake."

Lysithea grimaced. Of course, Seteth would keep the divine essence hostage. A life without cake was no life worth living and he knew it.

"You can do this Lysithea," Hilda cheered her on.

Lysithea tried to pretend she didn't notice the pink haired girl and Claude make a wager on her, and instead focused on the plate in front of her. There was still so much of it left and by then it had turned into an indiscernible mush. Soggy and cold with the one redeeming factor of flaky pastry no longer being there. If it was hard for her to eat then, it would be impossible to eat now.

"Cmon," Leonie began patting Lysithea's shoulder. "You don't want the Professor's fish to be wasted, do you?"

"The professor caught this?"

"That's right he caught it from the pond and had the chefs serve it personally to you." That was technically true though Lysithea would later find out that the Professor pretty much provided all the fish that had been served in the mess hall.

For now, though it was enough motivation for her to actually finish the dish. She couldn't let the Professor's hard work go to waste after all.

Lysithea began to shove whatever she could into her mouth, chewed quickly, and drank down the chunks with water in order to taste as little of it as possible. She repeated this and suppressed the urge to gag each time, until she finally emptied the plate much to Flayn's glee and applause.

Claude would then reluctantly hand over a small satchel of gold to Hilda who would then go to Leonie and give her half of that.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Hilda said to Leonie.

"Feel free to hire me for my services again," Leonie replied.

"I can't believe you two conspired against me," Claude commented to the two in disbelief.

"Could someone get me some juice please?" Lysithea groaned as she struggled not to empty her stomach all over the table and floor of the mess hall.

"Lysithea?"

Lysithea was not much of a religious person. She was fine with using the Goddess's and the Church's name in vain, but she really wasn't as faithful as she let on despite her skill in offensive Faith magic. However, it felt like divine intervention that day when Lysithea looked up to find Marianne with cup of juice in one hand and a piece of candy in the other offered to her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much Marianne," Lysithea said as she lunged forward and grabbed the treats of her hand. She threw the candy in her mouth and let its sweet flavor fill her mouth before she drank the juice to wash the rest of it down. "You really came through for me," Lysithea said as she finished.

"Oh it was nothing much."

Lysithea had learned from past arguments with the girl not to force her praise on her. It was a bit sad, Marrianne could stand be more assertive in general, but at least there was a bit of a smile of the girl's lips. No matter how small it was.

"I see the gang's all here," Rapheal's voice called out. Behind the muscle fanatic was Ignatz, Lorenz, the Professor, and Lindhart who had officially transferred to their class. They joined them at their table and with that the Golden Deer had officially gathered.

With the addition of Flayn of course who seemed happy to be along for the ride.

Claude was the first to speak. "The Rite of Rebirth is happening today. Are we all prepared to see if our hunch was right?"

The entirety of the Golden Deer, apart from Lindhart who was busy sleeping again, agreed. It was clear that the blatant threat of assignation was but a ruse to distract the knights from other areas. The issue was figuring out where their enemies would strike.

"Teach and I have found a hidden spot where we can monitor the stairs that lead to the Holy Mausoleum. If there's anyone down there, they'll be trapped like the rats they are."

"All we'll have to do there is wait there?" Hilda asked.

"Indeed," Byleth replied.

"Including Flayn?" Raphael asked.

"Sadly no. My brother and I will be in the Goddess Tower during the ceremony, though I am fully confident that all of you will be successful in your endeavor."

"Back to the subject at hand," Claude continued. "I've also found a sealed coffin in the Holy Mausoleum last night and after some research I've learned that the only time you can easily get in and out of that place is during the Rite of Rebirth."

"And because of the alleged assassination plot, the defenses are even thinner than usual," Leonie commented.

Claude winked. "Exactly. Now all we have to do is follow the plan and hopefully no one tattles on us before we can catch them." He looked pointedly at Flayn.

"Do not worry. My brother only has me reporting on Lysithea's eating habits. I have no obligation or desire to have him interfere with your work."

"Scheming against family members," Claude smiled mischievously. "We can make a Golden Deer out of you yet"

* * *

"I do believe your observation was correct Claude," Lindhart commented as they entered the Holy Mausoleum.

Lysithea rolled her eyes. "What an acute sense of observation you have there." It was kind of hard to miss the small army that had invaded the tombs in order to break into the very conspicuous sealed coffin at the very end of it. There was already a mage there with his back turned working to unseal it, though she couldn't get a good view of him from their current position.

"Leonie you're with Rapheal to the left," their professor immediately began shouting orders. "Hilda, Ignatz, and Lorenz will cover our right. Marianne and Lindhart will stay back and provide support as needed. While Claude and I take the center."

"Professor are you sure?" Hilda cautioned. "There's a pretty scary looking knight at in the middle there."

The mounted knight in the center did look different than the rest of the shoulders. As if the skull mask wasn't enough, the scythe he held in his hands radiated a faint dark energy that Lysithea could see. He would likely know some form of magic which in conjunction with his heavy armor would make him a more significant threat compared to everyone else in the room.

She had learned a spell recently meant to deal with mounted units, so hopefully that along with the Professor's blade would be enough to topple the knight.

"Which is why I'm at the center." He then turned to Lysithea. "And finally, Lysithea will keep watch over the state of battle and inform me of any changes. You'll also assist anyone that is under threat of being overwhelmed."

Though Lysithea had been studying tactics and battalions extensively under the Professor it was still a pleasant surprise for her to be given a leadership role. Normally Claude or the Professor himself would be the one to oversee the battlefield as everyone fought.

Once the plans were made everyone quickly took their position and waited for the Professor's signal to charge. Their enemy, having noticed their presence at this point, also took formation in preparation for the ensuing conflict.

"Are you ready?" Byleth asked her.

Lysithea she put a hand on the hilt of the steel sword she carried. Though she would still serve magical role, the blade was something that would be used in an emergency. Hopefully the situation wouldn't get to the point where she'd be forced to used it. "About as ready as I'll ever be Professor."

Byleth would nod to her before turning to face the enemy. With a wave of his hand the operation would begin.


	9. Chapter 9

Lysithea summoned a Swarm and sent it toward the first charging spearman. The spell began biting away at his skin, armor, and weapons, weakening and distracting him to the point that Claude could make an easy shot to his chest. He went down just as the Professor finished dispatching his own opponent.

Another three swordsmen would come charging and Byleth would engage them all while Lysithea and Claude provided support. Between her magic, Claude's arrows, and Byleth's blade they made quick work of the enemies with only a few minor scratches on the Professor as the cost. These Lysithea would take but a few seconds to heal before sending them off on the way. Though she was far from capable at healing as Marianne was, Lysithea's faith magic tended to be more… offensively oriented, her healing was still sufficient enough for minor wounds.

Lysithea took a step back and surveyed the battlefield like she was instructed. She looked for any of her classmates that needed any help. The short answer, no.

Leonie was skilled and dexterous. She would constantly switch between a bow and spear, softening up her enemies from a range as they charged her before skewering them with her spear. She had ended up dispatching a fair number of them and any that tried to charge her side was met with the wall that was Rapheal.

Rapheal was strong, tough, and could be surprisingly tricky when he needed to be. More than once he had baited his enemy in with an awkward yet powerful swing of his axe only for their faces to meet the end of his fists. At one point he put on a pair of gauntlets, rammed through a brawler that had tried to charge him, and picked up another one with both his arms. He lifted the man above his head and quite literally flung him at an archer that had been trying to take a shot at him. By all rights it was a crazy and idiotic looking move, but he made it work.

He wasn't the only powerhouse though. Hilda despite her frame was swinging a large steel axe around like Lysithea would a wooden training sword. The frightening speed at which she struck and power the power behind blow was enough to send most enemies she hit reeling, if not cleaving them outright. Every break between her kills would be filled with her shouting her own name in triumph, which only unsettled her opponents even more. Lysithea still couldn't figure out whether that was a coping mechanism for Hilda or simply a way she enjoyed the thrill of battle.

Standing alongside Hilda was Lorenz who was also making a great show on the battlefield. He combined spear work and magic, proving a fairly versatile force on the frontlines by switching between the two as necessary. His presence, his demeanor, and even the way he fought seemed to provoke the enemy into going after him. Hard not to really, he could really be that insufferable.

Anyway, the distraction those two created made it simple for Ignatz to quickly and quietly finish off the foes that they weakened. With light, quiet steps that belied his frame, he quickly flanked enemies so that he could shoot at them with his bow. Many were dead before they truly registered him as a threat while those that did simply couldn't catch up to him as he darted away and used the pillars of the Mausoleum or even Hilda to cut them off.

All while this was happening, Marianne would provide healing from a distance with physic or even simply walk her way to each group to heal them should the situation permit it. She had a gentle and effective touch to her healing while also being pretty nasty with a lance, something which an assassin had the unfortunate experience of learning firsthand when he tried to sneak up on her. All it took was a quick warning from Lindhart for Marianne to turn around and ruthlessly skewer her would be assailant before he had a chance to react.

Lindhart looked a bit unsettled at the sight but otherwise continued to apply his own healing to the rest of Golden Deer that would need it. On the battlefield he was fully awake providing what healing was needed and even throwing in cutting gale or two when he had the chance. He moved quickly and efficiently doing everything that might've needed from him.

It was the first time she had actually observed the entirety of her class as she fought, and they were all quite impressive. She always thought that she was a good student but seeing that at work now only motivated her to put even more of an effort in the future. Perhaps that was why the Professor placed here there.

Seeing that the flanks were secure, Lysithea made her way to Byleth and Claude.

The Professor as always was a demon on the battlefield cutting through anyone in front of him with ruthless efficiency. Close to him was Claude who was flashy and cocky with each of his movements yet was still able to land nearly every shot he made. Their house leader was one of the if the not the best shot in the academy and it showed every time he was out on the field.

Together the two would work in near harmony. With a single step forward from Byleth, Claude would know to stay back and let the Professor cover him. And with a single arrow from Claude pointed in the Professor's direction, Byleth would know to duck or move away so that the archer could make a shot on whoever was trying to flank them. Nothing ever had to be said between them. It was like they had fought together as close companions for years despite having only known each other for a few months.

An armored knight began to lumber toward them. His defenses might've given them some trouble had Lysithea not walked up to the front lines briefly and completely eviscerated him with a single Miasma.

"What's the situation?" Byleth asked as she took her place behind him once more.

"Everyone's been making steady progress, we'll soon converge on the center where we'll meet the enemies main force," Lysithea informed him.

"Actually, maybe we should change our plans a little Teach," Claude pointed toward the Death Knight who remained motionless in the middle of the room. "I've been overhearing a bit of a disagreement between him and the one leading this group. I don't think he'll even try to do anything as long as we stay out of his way. Also, he's called the Death Knight."

"Then we'll meet up in the center, strike through their right flank, and head straight for the sealed coffin," Byleth immediately replied. The Professor seemed to trust Claude implicitly, at least on the battlefield. There was simply no doubt between the two of them, they knew they could trust on rely on anything that they told each other.

Once the Golden Deer regrouped, they would all follow Byleth's order to charge the right flank. With the Death Knight just standing there and essentially just being another obstacle in their way, the rest of their foes were simply too slow to reinforce their collapsing flank.

With a fling of her arm, Lysithea use a Luna pierce through the resistances of an opposing bishop and sent him collapsing to the floor. Time was of the essence as they made their way toward the coffin, though there were still quite a few enemies standing within their path. She was however close enough to watch as the mage opened the coffin and kneeled down to grab what was inside.

"A sword!?" he heard the mage shout as he took a strange serrated sword with a hole in the center of its held.

Lysithea froze as the man turned around. Black robes and a beak-like mask. He was one of them, the same mages that had experimented on her all those years ago. The same men that had killed all her siblings and left her behind with a death sentence.

"Lysithea is something wrong?" Lorenz said only for her to break out of formation and make a beeline toward the coffin.

She recognized the spell that he was trying to cast. A teleport but it would take time and he wasn't getting away from her now. Her vision turned red and she screamed as the Crest of Gloucester activated above her. At least several of the enemy saw her run out of the formation of the class and charged at her.

Her first Miasma hit the axeman that had been charging her. The second missed the swordsman though she was able to block his blade with her own. She blocked a few swings before an arrow flew through the air and struck him in the arm. She then took the chance to strike him down with a Swarm at a point-blank range.

An arrow flew by and grazed her cheek, but she didn't care. She decimated the bowman before he could draw another. She continued running toward the coffin. At least two other people stood in her way. Two that would soon be just corpses on the ground though a shallow cut on her waist and a long slash on her arm was the cost.

By now the mage had finally noticed her presence and barely interrupted his teleport to block the Miasma she fired at him. Then a Swarm which he dodged, then a Luna that he redirected. He then flung his one spell at her which she redirected.

Spell after spell the two mages flung at each other, until Lysithea's head was pounding head pounding and her blood boiling from the strain. Despite the power being thrown she clearly had, by all rights all she had to was keep him busy until the others were done fighting the rest of the enemy. However, she wanted this man dead now.

She was overusing her crest and her body was screaming from the strain, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to kill him, to rip him to shreds scatter his body into pieces across the floor of the Monastery until his friends could no longer recognize it. Then she would find the rest of them and do the same to them. She wouldn't stop until he and everyone responsible for what had been done to her and her family was dead.

With the last of her spell reserves, Lysithea spread her arms wide and summoned numerous spears of Darkness all aimed toward the mage. Dark Spikes, a spell that she had initially for the Death Knight, but she no longer cared about him. She slammed her hands together and fired the spears all at once. They slammed in the area surrounding the mage, breaking the ground and causing smoke to fly up around him.

The dust settled and Lysithea was enraged to find that the mage was still alive. He had a spear in his leg and was barely holding himself up by grabbing onto the tomb. He had also lost his group on the strange sword which was now on the floor a good distance away from him. Lysithea walked forward ready to fight him with her sword when Byleth suddenly ran up to pick up the sword and charge the mage.

The mage, apparently having some spells left, fired a black ball at the Professor.

The sword, a Heroes Relic Lysithea realized, glowed in her professor's hand. Byleth would cleave the spell with his new blade and then swung it at the mage. The mage tried to block it with a barrier but with some force Byleth was able to break through the barrier and cut them down.

The mage was finally dead yet Lysithea hardly felt satisfied. It was only after she had taken a few breaths and calmed down that she realized it would actually be better if she had been able to take them alive. It would've been a chance for to get information on the people she sought, and she wasted it.

Lysithea noticed Byleth looking at her peculiarly. He clearly had some words for her and she likely deserved it.

Before either of them could take a step toward each other the rapid thumps of a galloping horse could be heard. The both turned to find that the Death Knight had finally started to move.

"That sword! Perhaps, you will be the challenge that I seek!" the Death Knight's voice rumbled as he charged at the two of them.


	10. Chapter 10

Byleth knew there was something wrong with his student. He had seen her get frustrated when called a child, her getting frightened at the mention of ghosts, and her throwing a tantrum when she got particularly impatient. What he had never seen though was the pure rage and bloodlust she had exhibited once she had caught sight of that mage.

She was normally intelligent and reliable in battle, so to see her lose control of herself like that and break formation was a shocking sight. It was fortunate that he had been able to intervene toward the end. Lysithea had clearly exhausted her spell reserves yet she still seemed to ready to continue casting magic. Even at the cost of her own vitality.

Byleth wasn't a fool, he knew that there was something wrong with her body, but he didn't have to worry about her breaking herself until now. Before he could talk with her, to confront her over her reckless behavior, he heard the familiar sound of a horse in the distance and turned to find the Death Knight charging at them.

He was the first to move by pushing Lysithea out of the way and matching the Death Knight's scythe with his new sword. Byleth let out a grunt as he struggled to keep his blade up.

**Be careful. This one is different from the rest! **Sothis's voice called out in his head.

_I know!_

The Death Knight was strong. The only one that could compare was his own father and he had yet to beat Jeralt in a true fight.

His opponent pushed him back and swung again from across his steed. This blow sent Byleth into an unbalanced state and then the third swing would knock his sword out of his hand.

Before Byleth could react, The Death Knight swung downwards and impaled him in the stomach.

"No!" Lysithea screamed in despair as he was cut down before her. The rest of his students and even Claude looked at him in shock as the scythe was impaled in his chest.

Byleth took one last look at the face of his student stained with desperate tears and then his would-be killer before reversing the flow of time. He was brought back to the beginning of the fight, just as the Knight had begun to charge.

It was fortunate that he hadn't had a need to use the Divine Pulse in this mission until now. He would need every single one he had if he was going to survive long enough for the rest of his students to reinforce him.

**You have three pulses left. Do not let them go to waste!**

Byleth pushed Lysithea out of the way and matched the Death Knight's scythe once more. They repeated the same movements up until the Death Knight tried to push him back. With knowledge of the previous engagement in mind, Byleth was able to subtly step out of the way and duck underneath the second swing. He then swung his blade, scoring a strike against his foe's right leg. The sword he now wielded shredded through the armor and was able to cut into the Knight's flesh. It was only a light wound, but Byleth had been able to shed some blood.

The Death Knight continued to stare at him, as if they hardly noticed the damage he had just done. "Not bad you are different from the rest."

Byleth stayed silence as he took up a stance once more. His eyes hardened as he tossed away all emotion and all thoughts of everything else except his opponent in front of him. He could no longer afford to fight as the Professor. The Ashen Demon had come, and all the Demon cared about was victory. The only way this was to be achieved, was to kill his opponent in front of him.

The Death Knight switched the hand that held its weapon. It had clearly noticed the change in front of him.

"I do not sense any hatred or fear in you. Do you believe that being void of emotion gives you strength?"

The Ashen Demon charged, pivoted on his foot, and swung at his opponent's chest. The Death Knight would block the blow with the shaft of his weapon.

"You do not enjoy the thrill of battle. So, what motivates you?"

They continued to trade blows, the Demon doing his best to parry, dodge, and redirect as necessary. A reckless offensive against the Knight would likely lead to his death, he needed to stall and see if there were any openings to exploit.

"Why does the Demon fight? Why does it choose to exist with such weakness?"

The Demon rolled under a swing only to be struck down by a Thoron as he tried to get up.

The flow of time reversed.

The Demon repeated the motions, rolled again, and this time used his blade to deflect the spell.

_Two_

The Knight knew magic. He couldn't afford to give it any distance. He had to continue mounting pressure even as the knight threatened him with the mobility of its steed.

The demon closed in, attempting to use the long reach of his opponent's weapon against. By constantly staying close and forcing the Death Knight to block with its shaft he was able prevent a counterattack.

The Death Knight swung its fist out only for the Demon to dodge it. With a feint, the demon would bait the next swing, step back to avoid it, and thrust his sword. This time he cut the forearm of the knight's dominant arm. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to be a debilitating injury.

"What will it take for you to toss away the rest of your humanity?"

**This… thing is quite insane.**

The Ashen Demon wouldn't even answer the voice in his head as he took a low stance with his blade.

**But then again, you're quite strange in the head too.**

"You have been putting much effort into protecting these children," the Death Knight turned toward Lysithea who had been watching the battle between the two of them. The girl's eyes went wide as the Knight's attention shifted on her. "Perhaps they are what shackle you."

The Knight turned his steed and charged at Lysithea.

"No!" the Professor shouted as the Demon was pushed aside. Byleth tried to chase after Death Knight but simply couldn't keep up with its steed. He could only watch as his white-haired student took out her blade in desperation and tried to block the blow. With a single swing she was sent flying through the air and fell roughly onto the ground.

Byleth was helpless to watch as the Knight then trampled her with his horse. A crack could be heard as Lysthea's skull was crushed under the horse's hooves. Blood, bone, and brain splattered onto the floor of the Monastery.

He could hear Hilda screaming at the sight and Marianne sobbing as she prayed. He could see the rest of the Golden Deer with looks of fear and pain etched in their faces as they saw one of their meet a gruesome end. Even Lindhart had collapsed to his knees, his face pale as he looked at the remains of Lysithea.

Leonie and Lorenz shouted in rage and charged at the Death Knight with their weapons. Likely to their deaths.

The flow of time reversed.

_One_

Byleth couldn't stand to see the sight again. He threw his sword in desperation while the Knight's back was turned on him. It embedded itself in the knight's shoulder, driving deep into its left arm, but that wasn't enough to stop its charge. The Death Knight swung at Lysithea.

Lysithea was able to block the weakened strike with her sword and jump out of the way as the horse galloped past her. As she picked herself up her and Byleth's eyes met.

The Knight dropped his scythe and began casting a Thoron.

Byleth shouted.

Lysithea was too late to react as the spell struck her back and pierced through her chest. The life left her eyes and her body fell to the ground with a smoking hole in its chest.

The Golden Deer reacted much the same as they did before. Ignatz looked broken, Raphael shouted for his lil sis, and Claude had completely lost his composure. He snarled and ran forward to aim his bow at the Death Knight.

The flow of time reversed.

_And then there were none_.

**My power is spent. This is your last chance!**

Not again. He refused to let it happen again.

His sword took on a brilliant orange light, his unknown Crest manifested itself, and thrusted the sword forward. The sword cracked, it split, and to flew through the air elongating itself like a whip. It wrapped itself around the back leg of the Death Knight's horse. He pulled, ripping off the horse's leg and sending both it and its rider crashing to the ground.

The sword retracted and returned to its original form as Byleth charged. He was short on breath, his crest and the Relic he held had taken much more out of him than he had expected, but he refused to stop running. Not until he had ensured the safety of his student.

The Death Knight stood up once more though it was clear that the wounds it had received had finally begun to take its toll. "What strength… I didn't expect to encounter someone like you… How fortunate," it said before it promptly disappeared in a flash of light.

Even as the Death Knight disappeared Byleth continued running. He didn't even register his student calling for him until he kneeled down and put his hands-on top of her shoulders.

* * *

Lysithea could hardly let out a word as her Professor suddenly kneeled down and grabbed her by the shoulders. It was the first time she had ever seen him get so physical. Even around Jeralt the most he would do was nod or give him a handshake.

"Are you alright?" Byleth asked as he looked her in the eyes. His face was as monotone as ever but there was a notable strain in his voice. It was hard for Lysithea's face to not to go red though with how close he was to her.

"I'm okay Professor," she replied hesitantly. The Death Knight hadn't even gotten that close to her before the Professor toppled him. What would've caused such a drastic change in his behavior then?

"No injuries?"

"Nothing Professor I can assure you."

The Professor looked at her carefully before letting go and standing up. "Good."

"That was a bit scary back there wasn't it Teach?" Claude called out as he and the rest of the Golden Deer finally joined the two of them. "We should be thankful that they left you a Heroes Relic to use."

"Even with heroes relic you were able to take down such a dangerous enemy, as expected of Captain Jeralt's son," Leonie commented.

"It isn't because they share blood that the Professor is so strong," Lysithea said. "But rather work and dedication he put into his training."

"Father is the one who had trained me and taught me most of what I know, but I also had to work hard for it. You are both correct to a certain extent."

"I'm glad we had you with us Professor. I shudder to think of what that Knight would've done to a vulnerable maiden like me," Hilda said as she shuddered.

"If anything, Lysithea was the closest to becoming a victim," Ignatz commented.

"Though that was mostly her own fault," Lindhart commented as he turned toward her. "What was that Lysithea? You broke formation, risking yourself and the rest of us. Not only that but once you reached the mage all you had to do was distract him long enough for the Professor or one of us to come assist. You wouldn't have been so helpless if you hadn't all your magic on that one person."

Lysithea flinched. What Lindhart had said hurt, but it was true. In her fit of rage she had used up all her magic and became a burden that the Professor had to risk his life to protect. It wasn't just Lindhart either, the rest of her class were looking at her suspiciously over her actions.

"He's right you know," Claude commented. "Not very smart of you to charge without the rest of us. Even if you stopped him from escaping."

"For once I agree with Claude. That was reckless and unbefitting actions for one of the nobility," Lorenz said.

"Lysithea you were acting pretty wild back there," Hilda admitted.

"It was certainly unplanned, but it worked out in the end didn't it?" Ignatz argued. For some reason having Ignatz defend her only made her feel worse.

"I don't know. I'd rather us all be safe than risk getting hurt over a fancy sword," Raphael argued. "No offence there, Professor."

"None taken. My student's safety should take priority after all. I understand that there are risks to be taken on the battlefield but that is no excuse to break formation."

All Lysithea could do was stare at the stone floors of the Mausoleum. The guilt she carried in her gut just seemed to get heavier at each of her classmates' words.

"Perhaps we should all return to the monastery?" Marianne suggested. "We're all tired and perhaps a bit shaken by what happened."

The class glanced among themselves before eventually agreeing.

"Marianne's right." Claude said while glancing at Lysithea. "We can have this discussion once everyone's healed up and rested."

With that, they made their way out of the Mausoleum.


	11. Chapter 11

There were many things that Lysithea had expected to happen when she was instructed to meet the Professor in his room to have a private discussion. She expected to be scolded and interrogated over her reckless actions in the crypt. She expected to be punished accordingly and told that she wouldn't be participating in the class's next mission. There was a small part of her that had even expected him to just kick her out of the Golden Deer.

That was why it completely took her off guard when she entered the room to find that the Professor had set up a table piled high with cakes, candies, and pastries. Everything that Seteth had forbidden her from eating for the last week.

"I thought Seteth informed you-"

"Seteth doesn't need to know. This will be a secret between us," Byleth said as he gestured her toward an empty seat across from him.

Lysithea took her seat and stared at the treats in front of her.

"Are you not going to eat?" the Professor said as he she continued to sit there.

"I will," she replied before taking a plate, grabbing a cream puff, and then taking a bit out of the creamy treat. It was delicious. All the deserts there were clearly of high quality and prepared for her tastes, yet she couldn't understand why the Professor went out of the way to do this. If anything, it made her feel even worse to be rewarded after the near fatal error she had just made in their last mission.

"Professor, did I not make a mistake in our last mission? Why am I being treated like this?"

"Because you nearly died, and I want to make sure that you're treated well."

"I was hardly in any danger. You stopped the Death Knight long before he could even get to me."

The Professor flinched at her words.

"If anything," Lysithea continued, "I was the one that put you all in danger for charging in like that."

"Indeed, that was a mistake," Byleth replied. "Even if there was merit in stopping the Mage from escaping then you should've focus on distracting him rather than using up what magic you had left. If you had simply just held him there for another minute, I would've cut him down and you would still have spells ready for the encounter with the Death Knight."

Lysithea grimaced as the Professor recollected what had happened the previous day.

"So, why did you do that? It is not like you lose control of yourself like that, in battle at least."

The Professor deserved an explanation, even if it was hard for to put what happened to her into words.

"Professor… did I ever tell you how I got my two Crests?"

"You did not." He crossed his arms and waited for her to continue.

"Well I did mention how House Ordelia was, at one time, being controlled by people from the Empire."

"You have."

"During that time, strange people, mages, came and performed rituals on all the youth within my family. With the Empire monitoring our every move, my parents could do nothing but watch in horror as all of this unfolded. All the children died until the only one left was me."

The Professor was silent as she fingered a few strands of her hair. "My hair wasn't always this color. It was Lilac before, and I liked it, but I lost all the pigment in my hair one morning after all the experiments they'd been doing with my blood. It was a sign of their success that their experiments had finally succeeded. They did a test and confirmed that I now held two Crests."

"… That's why you hate your Crests," Byleth commented.

"I never wanted them. It was something forced onto me when I was helplessly young and yet people expect me to treat it like some sort of great honor."

Gloucester and Charon, neither of those lines were connected to the Ordelia blood. They were foreign, they didn't belong to her body, and now she was paying for their existence.

"I remember them all. Every one of the fourteen or so people that had experimented on me. With their black robes," Lysithea made tight fists with her hands across her lap, "and beak like masks that they wore. I've wanted to kill them for so long, every single one of them for what they did to all my siblings and what they did to me. With what little time I have left."

"Your fits that Lindhart informed me of… your Crests are killing you," the Professor realized.

"They are. After the experiments I was informed that my lifespan was greatly shortened. Currently I have ten more years at most, perhaps even less."

"That's terrible."

Lysithea nodded. "It's why I'm always in a rush. I can't afford to slow down, not if I wish to achieve everything, I need with the time that I have."

"And what do you want to do?"

"What I wish for now… is vengeance against the people that had participated in those experiments… and for my parents to have peace as they grow older. They've suffered too much already and yet I haven't much time to ensure it all comes to pass."

"Wouldn't your parents wish for you to spend the rest of your life in peace? To be happy no matter how short it might be? You don't have to destroy yourself hunting them all down."

"I though could Professor, but even now I can still see that man's mask taunting me from the table that they used to operate on me. I can still remember how they cut into me and all the other children of the Ordelian household. I was the eldest among all my siblings, cousins, and the servant's children. I was supposed to protect them. All of them."

Commoner, noble, servant, it didn't matter. If they were a child that lived in that house then they were subjected under the experiments and there was nothing the parents could ever do about it.

"There was nothing you could do. Not for something like that."

"There was actually something I could do. At least four of them died in a cell with me, I did what I could do to comfort them." She had made a list of the children that had died during the experiments in her head. It was something she had repeated to herself during some nights when she found that sleep eluded her. "Five on the operating tables, two thrown back to their parents' arms to die when they were deemed failures, and one threw themselves out a window. Or at least that was what we were told.

Lysithea continued methodically listing of the children that had died in the Ordelia household like she would a shopping list. The Professor didn't stop her though, he sat in his chair and willingly listened. "One who hung herself when no one was looking, two disappeared and we never found the bodies, and the final child before me begged for death. Wanted me to kill her, end her suffering. I could've done it, I learned quite a bit of Dark Magic watching those mages, but I was weak. I should've killed her; she spent the last days of life with nothing but pain. Maybe that was why it was so simple for me to kill my first man in the Red Canyon. An opportunity to test my strength to see how much stronger I've become since that day." She stared at her hands stained with blood as they were. "I'm hardly the weakling I once was, I just wish I had that strength back then. To kill all those mages and failing that to end it all for the children before they had to suffer."

"No…" the Professor replied. "You made the best choice you could at the time. Asking you of that would be too much for you, even now."

"What do you think I should do then Professor? I can hardly ignore those men after what they did."

"It is understandable you wish for their deaths… I admit I want to kill them myself at this point, but what will you do if you see another of those men on the battlefield?"

Lyssithea looked down at the floor. "I don't know how I'll react," she admitted. "I mean I'll try to stay under control but there's always the risk that I'll become a liability to all of you. It honestly might be better for you to leave me behind or have me transfer. If you do make me leave the Golden Deer, then I understand. It's fine I'm used to being alone after all."

She said that but she didn't know if she could handle the Professor agreeing with her. Not without breaking down at least. It would be what she deserved though for what she had done back in the Mausoleum.

The Professor stood up and walked up to her until he was only inches away.

Lysithea closed her eyes prepared to be berated or even struck at that moment. Instead she felt a hand gently pat her on the head. "You aren't alone. I refuse to let you be alone."

She opened her eyes. "Professor"

"I'll help you find them, and I will find a way to undo what has been done to you."

"Professor… I don't think it's remotely possible to remove my Crests… and I don't I would be much use to you and the others without them."

"Lysithea, I have seen you spend night after night past curfew in the library with your studies. I have seen train to your very limits on the sparring grounds with a sword. Your Crests don't make you put in the effort put in. We will find a way to remove your Crests and you will still be one the best students that I've ever had the honor of teaching."

Lysithea smiled at the Professor's words and his act of physical affection. "You've only ever had to teach our class," she half-heartedly argued.

"And every one of them is exceptional in their own way. To stand out among them is no small feat."

Lysithea leaned her head in toward his hand and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Professor."

* * *

Byleth watched as Lysithea left his room having had her fill on cakes, tea, and sweets. He had extracted a promise from her that she would no longer disobey orders or act so recklessly from now on. If another of those mages would show she would inform him and they would deal with it accordingly. Hopefully that would keep her safe.

That didn't mean she would go unpunished though. She would still have to apologize to her class for her actions and she would have to clean the Monastery stables for the next few weeks.

**I would say that you're spoiling your little owl, but after recent revelations I can hardly blame you.**

_Little owl?_

**Her white hair, piercing gaze, and the way she's ready to claw your face off at a moment's notice.**

_That makes sense… In a way she reminds me of Edelgard._

**Those two might as well be siblings… though they might be closer than we realize. Did the owl not say that her white hair was not originally so?**

_She did_.

**And does not Edelgard also share that same hair color?**

_Yes, but it could be her natural hair._

**Who else has white hair though? It seems to be quite the rare color for one to have. At least while they're young.**

Byleth crossed his arms and kept an impassive face as he thought. It was true that Edelgard's hair was peculiar considering recent revelations, but the leader of the Black Eagles was even more guarded than Lysithea was. The only people that she seemed to confide anything in was Hubert and very rarely Byleth himself. Asking her about it would just cause her to clam up if she wasn't ready for it.

_Until she wishes to tell me, I shall wait and listen._ _Just as I do with the rest of my students._

Sothis manifested herself and gently floated herself onto the empty seat that Lysithea left behind. "If Edelgard does share Lysithea's condition neither of you will have the time to wait. You should get her to talk while you still can. It is clear that you care about her."

"I care for all of my students."

"Yes, even those outside of your class, but it seems that you have been spending more time with the Princess than others."

"She was… one of the first to open up to me. Even Claude still keeps everything hidden under his smile."

"You have to admit though. Your House leader has been spending more time communicating with his fellow classmates at your advice."

"He's a schemer, but even schemers need to have allies. The mind goes stale if it only processes information from one way of thinking."

Sothis began kicking her legs and reached for a cup only for her hand to phase through it. "So, you've taken it upon yourself to find a cure for the owl and possibly Edelgard's condition. How would you go about doing it?"

"Recruiting Lindhart was a good first step. And Hanneman will be more than willing to work with me should I continue providing him samples."

"I still feel uncomfortable about how much blood, flesh, and other bodily fluid you're willing to give him."

"I've been cut worse as a mercenary and it's good to get favors when I can. I'll think about what to do next after I've helped them along with the rest of my class graduate."

"You have to put in an effort to aid all of your students. But try not to run yourself ragged helping others. It wouldn't hurt for you to take care of yourself once in a while."

Byleth's mouth twitched. "You act like you care about me."

"We share the same body so of course I'd be worried about your health," Sothis scoffed. "Though like it or not I have grown rather fond of you."

"I'm fond of you too."

Sothis blushed. "Don't you dare let that go to your head. There is still much we have to do and I can't have you getting arrogant from my praise."

Byleth raised his teacup up in mock cheers. "Of course. We must all do our part."


	12. Chapter 12

Lysithea did not know Sylvain particularly well, just that he was an enemy for all women and seemed to share some of her hatred for Crests. He also basically went after everything with a pulse, if Flayn was to be believed. This included but was not limited to men, old people, children, and even animals. Lysithea didn't believe such things but honestly it might be a good if such rumors were to start spreading. It might get him to actually behave for once…

Anyways.

When her class had received their mission to eliminate thieves in Kingdom territory led by Miklan, a disowned son of House Gautier, even she and a few others had to worry about him. She didn't know much about his house, but it didn't take her long to confirm that the thief was indeed Sylvain's own brother.

Lysithea went to the barracks where the Blue Lions tended to gather and found Sylvain there with Ingrid. There was a notable tension in the air and even Ingrid seemed to have become more hesitant to act in front of him.

"Lysithea," Sylvain called out to her when he noticed her presence. "You here to accept my invitation for tea?" He put on a smile and his usual casual voice but even she could tell that it was just an act.

"No," Lysithea responded promptly. There were several she was willing to do for him out of comfort and pity, but a date was not one of those things. "My class has been given a mission in the Kingdom this month." There would be no joint mission with the Blue Lions this time, it would just be the Golden Deer sent to eliminate Sylvain's own brother.

"I heard. I've already requested the Professor bring me along as Mission Assistance," Sylvain replied.

"Why are you coming then?" Lysithea asked. "Are you joining us to help eliminate your own brother as ordered or are you going to try to convince him to stop?" She had lost all of her siblings to enemy that she sought to eliminate to this day, but she could never imagine the pain or betrayal of having one of them betray their family.

"My brother once threw me into a well in the middle of winter and left me to die," Sylvain replied plainly. "I can assure you that there is no love lost between us."

Now it was Lysithea's turn to hesitate. She had not expected Sylvain to have nearly been a victim to Fratricide of all things. "Why did he do that?"

"He was tossed aside, and I was chosen as heir because I was born with a Crest."

Sylvain had once commented to her that he hated his Crest. Now she knew why. "You never chose it. To be picked as heir and to have a brother that detests you because of it," she commented.

He gave her a weary smile. "Whatever happens to him is his own fault. He made these choices, but sometimes I wonder what my life would be like without a Crest."

"If it makes you feel any better Sylvain, I've been thinking the same myself."

"Hardly much of a blessing are they? Much less from a Goddess."

"Perhaps, the two of you should have this conversation somewhere else?" Ingrid cautioned the two of them. That was a reasonable request considering that Lysithea and Sylvain were close to speaking blasphemy against the Church.

"No that won't be necessary. I believe that's enough for today," Lysithea replied. "And Sylvain… the Professor wanted me to tell you that his door is open for you at any time."

"And yours?" Sylvain apparently decided to try his luck one more time.

"I still have no interest in spending time with you." Lysithea turned to walk away.

"And here I thought we were becoming friends," Sylvain called out as she made her way out of the Barracks.

"If that is truly your intent then you shouldn't say things that you don't mean," Lysithea called out before leaving the room.

She had only taken a few steps out of the Barracks when she suddenly ran into something and fell onto the ground.

"Woah. Sorry Lysithea. You ok there?" Catherine asked as she offered her a hand.

"I'm fine," Lysithea replied as she let herself be picked up.

"I've always been warning you to be more aware of your surroundings," another voice called out. Lysithea turned and found that it had belonged to Shamir.

"Well usually I can leave that stuff to you," Catherine replied.

"Hmph."

Lysithea had heard those two were particularly close though this was the first time she had seen them together. "What are you two doing?" she decided to ask.

"We're actually going to get some lunch in the Mess Hall. Do you want to join us?" Catherine asked.

Lysithea glanced at Shamir. Her face was stern, but then again that was what it was always like so she probably wouldn't be intruding on anything. "I would." Might as well eat with some company anyway, it might make eating the food that Seteth had made for her more bearable.

Rather than food though, the cooks in the Mess Hall had given Lysithea a tall glass and nothing else once she had gotten in line. Inside the glass was some sort of green thick substance that resembling slime or algae. The stench of it was especially strong and filled her nostrils as carried it as far away from her face as she could. She brought it back to her table where Shamir and Catherine had dishes that had at least resembled food.

"Oh no," Catherine commented as soon as she the saw the drink. Lysithea's blood ran cold, this was the first time she had ever seen fear on the Knight's face. "Shamir is that?"

"It is," Shamir grimaced. "The Seteth special."

"The Seteth what now?" Lysithea's voice with a voice full of despair and apprehension.

"The Seteth special. An unholy amalgamation of kale, spinach, celery, beet greens, lima beans, Dagdar watercress, and Brigid brown beans all roasted and blended together into the vilest concoction that you'll ever see."

That sounded absolutely horrifying.

Lysithea pushed the glass away from her which actually caused Shamir and Catherine to lean away as it got closer to them.

"I can smell it from here," Catherine replied as she looked away from it with her eyes closed.

"Indeed. It's still as horrifying as I remember it."

"Why did Seteth create such an… abomination?" Lysithea asked.

"Because despite it making you wish for death-"

"It's also one of the best things you can ever put inside your body," Catherine interrupted. "A few of those and you'll be getting twice as much done in training."

Shamir nodded. "Whether or not that is worth it though is still up for debate among the faculty."

"And you two had to drink this?"

"It is considered a… rite of passage among the faculty. To receive one of these from Seteth means that he considers you important enough to consider you're dietary needs. This is the first time I've ever seen it given to a student though."

"Any advice?" Lysithea asked as she reluctantly grabbed the glass with both her arms. For some reason it felt hotter than it was before as if the temperature of the thing was rising even though it had just been sitting there. She really didn't want to drink it but with Flayn and the dining staff reporting on her eating habits she had no choice but to.

"Pray to the Goddess," Catherine replied before grabbing her hands and bowing her head in prayer.

Lysithea gulped before putting the glass to her lips.

* * *

"I'm impressed," Catherine commented as she watched Lysithea run off to the nearest bathroom. "She drank more of it than I thought she would." At least half of the glass had been emptied before the white-haired student slammed the glass on the table and started running.

"More than you did during your first time. Didn't even throw up all over the Mess Hall."

"Never going to let me forget about that are you Shamir?"

"I rarely forget. Especially when it took me a week to wash off the smell."

"That's what you get for not warning me about it beforehand."

"You said that you would accept any challenges given to you. That was a challenge."

Catherine still wasn't entirely sure on whether or not Seteth had created that drink as a form a torture. It definitely said a lot of how the majority of the Knights of Seiros had been conditioned to flee at the very sight of the thing. "Seteth must like her if he's willing to manage her diet like this though."

"Or she's just useful to him."

"Always the pragmatist Shamir."

"I have to go where the money is."

"So, what do you think about Lysithea?" It would good to hear Shamir's opinion on the young girl.

"Her hands are calloused around the knuckles which suggests she writes a lot. There have also been multiple reports of a white-haired individual staying up in the library past curfew. Clearly a hard worker in a rush to get things done, though not one suited for physical exertion."

"She is a bit scrawny," Catherine admitted.

"How old is she?"

"Fifteen I think."

"She's small for her age."

"She still has time to grow."

"Maybe. Though there's also a chance that she won't grow much at all. It'll be difficult for her to wield a blade if she maintains her current physique."

"Well physical deficiencies aside she's hard worker and she wants to get strong quick. I can work with that."

"What are your plans for her? You're clearly spending more time with her than is necessary."

"Well I feel a certain kinship with her. We both have Crests of Charon and we both secrets we can't share with anyone." Catherine had her suspicions of Lysithea's dual crests before the girl had even used Thunderbrand. It shouldn't have been possible, yet Catherine always had a knack for detecting a person's Crest just by looking at them. In Lysithea's case it felt as if two opposing powers were always constantly fighting within her for dominance.

"She is a lot like you, just a lot smarter."

"Can't deny that. I can hardly wrap my head around magic most of the time." Catherine began to pick at her food. "I do wish she'd let her guard down around other people and learn to relax once in a while. She must have some major secrets though, having two Crests and all."

"Perhaps she'll tell you one day."

"Maybe. Maybe not, but I think I'll keep inviting her to lunch with us if that's fine with you. I always find that gabbing about pointless things with friends is a good way to help the stress fade away."

"You consider her a friend?"

"Well… I like to think of her as my younger sister."

"A little sister that you willingly beat down with a sword."

"Eh. Nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry to get things going."

"Hello, you two," Sylvain suddenly walked up to the two of them with a clearly impatient Ingrid behind him. "Might I join you two ladies for this meal."

Before Catherine could refuse, Shamir put a hand on her arm.

"Sure," Shamir replied quickly much to Sylvain's surprise.

"Really? It's never that eas- I mean I happily accept."

"One condition though. You have to help to finish that. We don't want it to go to waste."

"Sounds easy enough," Sylvain smiled as he grabbed the glass. "What's in this anyway?" He took a sniff of it.

Another strange thing about the Seteth special was that when it was left sitting for too long it lost most of its scent. He likely wouldn't notice anything suspicious about it.

"A protein shake"

"Well a bit more muscle wouldn't hurt." Sylvain tilted the glass into his mouth and drank what remained of it in seconds.

"Alright Sylvain I've watched enough, stop bothering them already," Ingrid sighed as she walked up to drag Sylvan away. She grabbed his shoulder only to receive no response. "Hello?" She waved her hand in front of his face. "Sylvain...?"

Sylvain fell face first onto the floor with the glass still in his hand. His body laid still on the ground,

"You're evil Shamir," Catherine commented. Another thing with leaving the Seteth special sitting out for too long. It tasted twice as worse.

"I know."

"Uh… should we be worried?" Ingrid asked.

"No, you can leave him there," Shamir replied. "You want to join us for lunch?"

"… That sounds good." Ingrid stepped over Sylvain's prone body and joined them at their table.


	13. Chapter 13

Lysithea struggled to control her breathing as she began swinging her blade as the Professor had instructed. The wood of the training dummy clacked dully with every strike that she could bring herself to muster. Catherine had been right; technique wouldn't matter if she couldn't even land a solid swing with a sword.

"You think too much," Byleth commented as she stepped back and tried to catch her breath.

"I thought you said I should be thinking about how to defeat my opponents. Even with a sword."

"Think about the environment you're in, think about moving to a position where you have an advantage, but don't think as you swing. Feel it. Let your body move on instinct."

"I always seem to mess up if I just swing without giving it much thought though."

"You need to figure out what does work for you and condition your body from there." The Professor took out his blade and began to swing it lightly against hers. "You should also exercise more. Strength and stamina are much more important than technique."

Lysithea caught the Professor's sword with the flat of her blade and then subtly angled it so that the force of her Professor's swing would cause his blade to slide harmlessly off to the side.

Both Catherine and the Professor had very similar advice for her which she had begun listening to. She had even begun jogging much to Caspar's surprise though she could hardly keep up with him for long.

"Have you been doing your fifty swings in the morning as I instructed?" Byleth asked as he thrusted at her.

Lysithea put her right foot back and pivoted her waist, causing the thrust to hit nothing by air. "I… have." She tried to attack Professor only for him to step back out of her reach. He then used the extra length he had on her to lightly tap her neck with his sword.

"Switch to an iron blade then and continue jogging after your sword sets."

"Understood Professor," Lysithea replied as she stepped back and rubbed the spot on her neck the Professor had just poked. Had that been a real blade she would've been choking on her own blood.

"How has your magic training been?"

"I've been learning faith magic now with help from Mercedes and Lindhart. I believe I might be able to learn Seraphim soon. I'm also considering learning how to use Warp"

"Good. Continue your studies with them and attend seminars for your reason, faith, and authority. Sword training will be personally supervised by me or Catherine."

"You're keeping me quite busy aren't your Professor?" Lysithea replied lightheartedly. She could hardly complain about how busy she was, it was what she had wanted after all.

"Of course. Now strike me again."

* * *

By the time Lysithea was finished with her training session with the Professor she was left a smelly sweaty mess with her uniform sticking to her skin. She was in need of a bath, a change of clothes, and quite possibly a nap.

This was why she was quite annoyed to find Lorenz of all people stand in the way of that.

"Hello Lysithea, might I take a moment of your time?" he asked Lysithea just as she was about to leave the training grounds.

"I refuse to drink tea with you," she crossed her arms and replied bluntly.

"Nothing of that sort, I just wanted to attempt an experiment with you."

"An experiment?" That piqued her interest.

"Yes, with Thyrsus." Lorenze brought out his family's relic for her to see. Like any Relic it looked like it was made of a bonelike material with a Crest stone inserted in it. Though uniquely enough it was one of the few relics out there meant to empower magic. "I wish to see the difference in power that a major and minor Crest may provide a relic and since you and I happen to share the same Crest…"

"I'll give it a shot," Lysithea agreed as she held her hand out. Though she was still finding it difficult to tolerate Lorenz, even she had to be curious about the relic that he held. It was the first one that she had seen that was meant for mages and she was learning to tolerate having to use her Crests somewhat. At least in cases where it would be necessary and knowing that she could use Thyrsus could be useful in an emergency.

"Wonderful," Lorenz put the weapon in her hand. "Now show them the might that is the Great Line of Gloucester."

"I told you before, I'm not related to you in any way." Lysithea pointed the staff at the training dummy, charged up a Miasma, and fired.

The spell blasted through the wand much more quickly and powerfully than she and Lorenz and initially expected. It didn't just hit the dummy; it completely broke through and obliterated it before continuing even further. It went to the very end sparring grounds, broke through the stone walls, and ultimately exploded in a shower of destructive dark magic in the storage room where all the training weapons were kept.

It was pure and utter pandemonium as everyone screamed, stared, ran away, or a mixture of all three, as black flames lingered throughout the area even as the spell had finished casting. The distinct smell of dark magic, mainly sulfur and iron, filled the air.

"Lysithea?"

She gulped. "Yes Lorenz?"

"I think we can agree that you should not be allowed to hold my family's relic. Now or in the foreseeable future."

"I agree." Lysithea handed the relic back to Lorenz. "So… about that invitation for tea…"

"What in the Goddess's name happened here!?" Seteth's voice screamed out in the distance.

"Is someone cooking?" Flayn asked. "It smells delectable!"

"Run?" Lorenz suggested.

"Run," Lysithea agreed.

They ran.

* * *

"Hey there Sis!" a familiar voice called out to Lysithea as she cleaned the mess hall.

"Hi Raphael," she replied briefly as she squeezed the water out of the cloth and began wiping the tables.

"What are you and Lorenz doing here? It's not even lunch time yet."

Lysithea glanced at Lorenz who also kneeled over a table with a soapy sponge in hand. "It's a punishment from Seteth." They honestly might've gotten away if not for Flayn pointing out Lorenz's bed of purple hair sticking out of a bush.

"I understand that we must suffer the consequences of our actions, but we are both nobility. There must be other work we can do aside from what is given to the common folk?" Lorenz asked as he too was kneeled over a table with a soapy sponge in hand. "No offense Raphael."

"None taken"

"Lorenz we're responsible for breaking a large hole in the walls of the training grounds and destroying most of the weapons that they used for said training. Even though we're fortunate that your family is willing to pay for the costs it'll still take some time for them to replace it all."

"How did you destroy so much?" Raphael asked.

"I suggested to Lysithea that she try using ou- my family's relic. It didn't quite work out as expected."

"Oh yea. You two share a crest."

"We're also extremely fortunate that we didn't kill anyone either," Lysithea commented. Physically, no one had been hurt, though there was probably going to be some mental scarring. Especially for Bernadetta who had been about to step into the storage room just as the spell barreled into it. She still hadn't left her room yet since that happened. An apology was going to be needed for the recluse and probably some cake. Maybe even the Professor to coax her out if needed.

"So Lysithea I was just wondering, how do you have two Crests?" Rapheal asked her. "Like I heard you do and you kinda need two if you can hold Thunderbrand and Thykus."

"Thyrsus," Lorenz corrected him.

"That one."

Lysithea knew that Raphael had no underlying intent behind his question, he was just simply curious, but she couldn't help but watch her words around him and Lorenz. "I can confirm that I have two Crests… though there is little else to speak of."

"It is it not quite rare to have been born with two Crests?" Lorenz asked.

Quite rare was an understatement. If anything, she probably was the only one suffering from the condition. "I can assure that I was not born with them."

"Then how did you acquire them?"

"Perhaps I should rephrase. There is little I wish to speak with you two about this and any further inquiries on that will be met with silence." She would've left the room right there but unfortunately there was still about a quarter or so of the Mess Hall that had to be cleaned up. Before she could get to it however, she felt a prickling in her lungs.

"Oh no," It was at least a week eariler than she had expected, she needed to get back to her room now.

She had only taken a few steps when the prickling stopped only for her lungs to feel like they had been stabbed my hundreds of needles. She could feel the strength leave her legs and she quickly used a nearby table to support herself.

"Sis! Are you alright!?" Raphael was the first to react though Lorenz wasn't far behind him.

"I'm fine," Lysithea wheezed. She couldn't let her classmates see her like this. Their mission was coming up in the next week, she couldn't have them question her condition or her ability to fight.

The arm that she was using to support herself slid off the table table and she would've hit the floor had Raphael not caught her by the waist.

"Lysithea you are most definitely not fine," Lorenz commented as he helped support her arm. "We must get you to the infirmary."

"No!" Lysithea coughed from the exertion. There came the blood again, blood that Raphael and Lorenz both clearly saw leaking out of her mouth. "They can't help."

"We can't leave you untreated-"

"Lindhart, Hanneman, or even Flayn," she gasped. "Has to… be them."

"Flayn's somewhere with Seteth and I think Hanneman's out with the Blue Lions somewhere," Raphael said.

"Raphael, I do believe I saw Lindhart napping in his room. The two of us should carr-," Lorenz was interrupted by Raphael picking Lysithea up and throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"I got her. Just show me where Lindhart's room is."

Lorenz nodded before leading Raphael to their destination. It only took a few minutes for them to barge into Linhardt's room, wake the green hair noble up, and deposit Lysithea onto his bed.

"This fit is even worse than the previous one," Lindhart commented as he provided his ministrations to Lysithea's chest. He had quickly woken up upon seeing her condition.

"It is," Lysithea admitted as the pain in her lungs dissipated somewhat.

"I believe that this is due to you overusing your Crests recently."

She grimaced. It was a very sound hypothesis all things considering but it was still disheartening that even now she was being punished for the mistake she had made in the Mausoleum.

"You're saying that her Crests are the reason for her current condition?" Lorenz asked.

Lindhart looked at her as if he was silently asking if he had the permission to speak.

"Keep it simple," she permitted.

"Yes, her Crests are the cause of her condition. Her body simply cannot handle the strain of both of them."

"I was not aware that Crests could do harm to their owner's body," Lorenz said.

"Well most people don't have to deal with more than one," Lindhart replied plainly as he shifted Lysithea to the side so he could apply his glowing hand to her back.

"Will she be okay?" Raphael asked.

"She will after a few hours."

"You seem quite knowledgeable about this. How many times has this happened so far?" Lorenz asked.

Lindhart stayed silent.

"Lysithea how often has this happened to you?" Lorenz asked her.

Lysithea could lie, but she knew that both Lorenz of Raphael would be keeping a close eye on her from now on. If she lied and they found there was a good chance they would prevent her from going out to a mission ever again. "Every month or so."

"Every month," Lorenz commented wide eyed as Raphael was actually silent in disbelief. "You go through this every month?"

"Yes."

"Sis…" Raphael started speaking once more, "you can't be going to train or fight then if that's going to make you use your Crests."

Lysithea steadied her breathing. "This will only last for the rest of the day at most. By tomorrow I will be perfectly ready to go on our class assignment," she was able to inform them without having to cough.

Lindhart was a quick learner. It was only his second time doing this and he had already figured out what needed to be done to stop most of the pain in her lungs. The issue was that he would have to continuously heal her during this time, and she knew he only had enough magic for about an hour or so of continuous feeling. The shortest a fit had ever been was two hours so there was going to be a period of time in which she would have to suffer through the pain.

"But the more you use your Crests the worse it's going to get," Lorenz replied.

"Then I'll stick to Gloucester and avoid using Charon. If I only use one for a few times, then I should be fine."

"Lysithea. Rarely do events on the battlefield go as planned, much less give you the reprieve you seek. We are going to be in a situation where you likely won't have the liberty to pace yourself."

"I know. I knew this ever since I joined the Academy, but I'm prepared to deal with it. I refuse to sit aside while the rest of you fight."

"We nobility have a responsibility to ensure the future of the Alliance and our houses, I can't under good faith see you throw your life away at such a young age."

"Well maybe I don't have a future!" Lysithea shouted. She couldn't help it. She was tired of Lorenz's talk of the nobility, of the future of her house when she wouldn't even have a part in that soon enough.

The strain on her lungs was too much and she began coughing once more.

"Try to keep your voice low," Lindhart suggested. "Or you know stop talking altogether."

"What do you mean you don't have a future?" Lorenz asked in confusion.

Ironically it was Raphael of all people whose eyes first lit up in epiphany and looked at her with grief sketched on his face. "How sick are you?"

"Sick. Very sick Raphael," Lysithea closed her eyes and admitted.

"How long?"

"After we graduate? Ten years, maybe even less. I can't afford to slow down or sit back, I need to do something with my life… while I still can."

Despite the sadness on his face, Raphael seemed to accept her words. Lorenz on the other hand looked completely horrified as if he couldn't believe what she had just said.

"Could you two just… give me some space?" she requested the two of them.

"Lysithea are you cer-" Lorenz was interrupted by Raphael's hand on his shoulder. It only took a single accepting look from the commoner for Lorenz to stop speaking and follow him out of the room.

"Well… they took that better than I had expected," Lindhart commented.

Lysithea couldn't help but bundle up and shove her face into his blankets. She was in no state to face anyone now.


	14. Chapter 14

Lysithea set down the book she had been reading and let out a frustrated sigh. Another book on Crests, another one with no information about how to treat her condition. There were plenty of theories on perhaps implanting Crests, most of which would end up with the death of the subject go figure, but none about how to remove Crests. Just that it was impossible to do so since it was absolutely ingrained in the blood.

Though the Professor's promise to her had inspired her to try and find a cure for her condition it was still discouraging to be met with failure. She didn't want to die, and she was still holding onto that small hope that there was a cure out there, but it would probably be best if she prepared a contingency if her and the Professor's efforts failed.

It was while she was musing over writing a will that Seteth walked into the library. It was clear that he noticed her too, but he took a few minutes to browse the bookshelves before he spoke to her.

"I heard that you were carried out of the Mess Hall by your classmates," Seteth as he took out a book, looked at the title, and then put it away.

"I can assure you that the Mess Hall has been cleaned sufficiently."

"That's not what I worry about. Raphael and Lorenz both said that you had tripped and that they were merely finding a healer to treat the sprain, but I do believe that the truth is quite different."

The fact that Raphael and Lorenz had kept what she said in confidence had relieved her greatly. She didn't know what she would do if she was confronted by the rest of her class over her shortened lifespan. Break down and cry some more maybe? That seemed to the be default option for her nowadays.

"They were able to bring me to Lindhart."

"That's good."

"I don't want to be left behind on missions," she begged.

"Is your Professor aware of your condition."

"Yes"

"Then that is his decision to make," Seteth replied as he sat down across from her with a book in his hand. "All I can do for you is give you advice."

"Is that why you came here?"

"No. I actually came in looking for something to read myself. Flayn has suggested that I take up a hobby."

"What about fishing? I'm sure she'd be excited about that."

"Though I do enjoy the activity, it has been a long time since I partook in it," he admitted. "I believe that my skills would not be up to par."

"You could have Leonie teach you a few things." Normally Lysithea would suggest the Professor but Seteth still seemed somewhat tense around him.

"I'll keep that in mind," Seteth replied as he opened his book.

There was a time in which Lysithea would've been intimidated by his presence. Now though she felt calm being around him. They spent an hour or so reading in silence before Seteth spoke up again.

"In the past you've spoken much about how you desire to hunt down the mages that implanted your Crests."

"I have."

"What will you do if they aren't found?"

"I will find them. One way or another I will."

"Have you ever considered doing something else? Are there not any other goals in your life you'd wish to achieve?"

"Yes. House Ordelia will end with me. I will tie up all loose ends in our lands, give up our titles, and make it so that my parents can finally live in peace."

"You wish to give away your noble titles?"

"Our noble title has given us nothing but pain. Besides they'll no longer need it once I am gone."

Seteth paused and glanced at her carefully. "And what about you personally? What do you wish to have?"

"I don't have the time to think about those things," Lysithea replied plainly. "I'm not sure I have enough to get things I need to get done now."

"Yes. I am aware of your shortened lifespan. But might I give you some advice?"

"What is it?"

"I have noticed that you keep your classmates at a certain distance. Perhaps it would be good to let your guard around them one in a while."

"I don't think that's a good idea… for any of us."

"And why is that?"

"If we become close… if I become close with someone, then I will just have to leave them in another decade or less. It would just be too much pain for all of us."

Seteth closed his eyes for a moment to think. "I understand the pain of separation. I thought I had all the time in the world with my wife before she passed."

"You were married?"

"I was and I miss her to this day, but I do not ever regret loving her. Even should the pain of parting be sooner then we'd like there will always be the memories that we have created. You are still young. Try to create some memories with your friends and loved ones rather than live with the regret of having never open up to them in the first place."

"I'll keep that in mind Seteth… and could I ask a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Just… make sure my parents are happy. When I'm gone. Make sure that the people I've left behind will be able to move on."

"I will do as you ask."

* * *

Despite all the things Lysithea had been through, the Professor would someone always find a way to surprise her. The reason this time was him hiding behind a bush in front of the dorms. Now normally that would be fine enough, but next to the Professor was Jeralt who also hid with him in said bush with.

It was a very peculiar sight but one that piqued her interest, so she walked up to the bush. "What are you two doing?" she asked them.

The Professor quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her down with her into the bush. He then put a finger to his mouth to tell her to stay silent before pointing at the sight they were staring at.

It was Bernadetta and Alois. A strange combination in of itself but the strangest thing of all was Bernadetta. She was outside of her room and having a conversation with someone. An actual conversation. There was panic, no nervousness, no jitteriness to her movements, she acted like a regular person having a regular conversation.

The shock of seeing that made even Lysithea wide eyed as she continued to watch the spectacle before her. "Professor… how is this possible?" she whispered to him.

"I have no idea," he whispered back.

"Bernadetta looks… comfortable with Alois. Do they have any history with each other?"

"They don't. This would be the first time I've ever seen them together."

"That isn't the worst thing kid," Jeralt suddenly commented.

"Really what else should we be looking at?" Lysithea gestured toward the Knight of Seiros and the incredibly calm purple haired student.

"Listen carefully to Alois. He's telling his jokes."

Lysithea listened carefully and grimaced as yet another bad pun was let loose from Alois's mouth. "I'd prefer not to hear it. Why is that so important?"

"Look at the girl's face."

"She's smiling and… giggling!?" Lysithea put both her hands to her mouth in horror.

"Yes," Jeralt grimaced. "There's someone out there that actually likes his jokes."

"Oh dear Sothis." What was happening? Had Lysithea woken up in some strange and alternate reality where Alois's jokes were actually funny? Or had Bernadetta been replaced by some look alike imposter like that one-story Mercedes had told her and Ashe in the middle of the night. The same one that had given her nightmares for weeks. Was she going to be replaced by a monster in the middle of the night?

The professor suddenly turned his head to an empty spot behind him. "No, she isn't talking about you."

"Professor?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing." He then turned to Jeralt. "Father it might be strange request, but do you think I could have Alois spend more time with Bernadetta? This is the first time I've seen her be at ease."

"Go for it kid. I honestly have no idea what's happening at this point."

Byleth prepared to stand only to have Lysithea stop by pulling him on his sleeve. "Professor are you sure that this isn't some sort of trap? It's too dangerous to go out there until we know what's going on."

"That is a risk I'm willing to take," he replied stoically before promptly standing up.

Panic etched Bernadetta's face as she was the first to notice him pop out of the bush. She bid a quick farewell to Alois before rushing back into her room and closing the door.

Well there went the imposter theory.

"Alois," the professor greeted the Knight.

"Byleth! How have you been?" Alois was one of the few to address the Professor by name.

"I was just wondering why Bernadetta seems so comfortable around you."

"Honestly, I only just realized that recently. She's normally skittish around other people."

That was an understatement.

"Might I have request of you something?"

"Sure. Anything for Captain Jeralt's son. I was his point man," Alois gestured toward his large spiked shoulders, "when I was serving under him after all."

Jeralt, who was still hiding in the bush with Lysithea, groaned. "I swear he's gotten even worse while I was gone."

"I've heard you've been gone for a decade. Has he been like this ever since he was student?" Lysithea asked.

"Yes, unfortunately. He's a good man… but never easy for me to deal with."

"I can imagine." Those jokes were painful to listen on a physical and mental level.

Byleth, in all his stoicism, showed no reaction to the pun. "Would you mind working with Bernadetta on assignments and weekly tasks?"

Lysithea admiration for the Professor grew even further. Bernadetta wasn't even part of their class yet he had gone this far out of his way for her. He cared a lot about the students, perhaps too much even. It honestly seemed like he was overworking himself, though he hardly ever showed it.

"That sounds like a grand idea. She and I have quite a lot of things to talk about after all. Though with the rain we've been having I can't help but fear that things might go 'pourly'."

Lysithea put her hand across her face as did Jeralt. Unknowingly for both of them the person inside Byleth's head would also do the same.

"Are you two playing hide and seek?"

Lysithea nearly jumped as Jeralt pulled a knife on the person that snuck up behind them. They calmed immediately once they saw the familiar bed of long green hair that somehow camouflaged itself in the bush.

"Flayn what are you doing here?" Lysithea asked as Jeralt scrambled to put his knife away.

"My brother told me to keep an eye on you."

"I thought I was supposed to keep watch of you?"

"Since when did the man with the stick up his ass start trusting you with his sister?" Jeralt asked.

"Jeralt!" Lysithea gasped. "Language!" Normally she wouldn't care but he said that around Flayn of all people. Who would curse near Flayn? And what would happen if Seteth ever found the person that ever taught her those words?

Flayn tilted her head. "Is there something wrong with his language?"

"He's… cursing."

"Do not worry. I am quite aware of numerous curses including," Flayn would then proceed to speak a small list of expletives with her cheery and good-natured voice. Some were words Lysithea hadn't even heard of before and many were just bad if not outright horrifying, especially out of her mouth. It was enough to make Lysithea's face to go crimson as she began to cover her face in shame.

Even Jeralt looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Kid I think you've made your point. Please stop," he begged.

"Oh I apologize if I have made the two of you uncomfortable. I rarely have a chance to use most of the language I know around Seteth and I wasn't sure which words would be currently suitable around the Monastery."

"None of them," Lysithea whispered. "None of those words should ever be spoken ever again."

"But do not people use curses to express great displays of emotion? Would I not connect with them better if I use them?"

"Kid… just no," Jeralt replied wearily. "And don't ever say any of those words around your brother or my son." The mercenary captain then got up to rejoin his son once he had finished talking to Alois.

"Father? Why do you look so uncomfortable?"

"You have some interesting students."

"Did Lysithea do something?"

"No, the green haired one."

"Flayn? What could she have possibly done?"

Lysithea whimpered in the bush. If only she still had the Professor's innocence. One that she and Jeralt had lost just recently.


	15. Chapter 15

Lysithea tensed herself as the Conand tower finally came into view in the distance. Located between Fraldarius and the Eastern Kingdom, the tower itself was quite visible surrounded by flat lands as it was. Its close proximity to the major roads and settlements were likely the reasons why the thieves had chosen to have their base there.

The tower itself was old but sturdy made of worn yet strong stone. It wouldn't be an easy matter to take it down from the outside so a full infiltration into the tower would be required. The issue was that they had little idea what lay inside. Though they had gone over maps over the basic layout of the tower the thieves had plenty of time to build up fortifications to repel an attack.

It would clearly be a hard-fought battle and yet she, Marianne, and Ignatz were the only ones that seemed tense about the entire thing. Even Sylvain who had every reason to be the most nervous one there seemed perfectly calm as the tower edged closer and closer.

But then again after the last few talks she had with him it was likely that he was hiding his true feelings under a carefree mask. Unlike Claude though Sylvain was willing to take it off, so she decided to speed up her pace toward the front of the group where he was with his horse. There she would find that the Professor had already gone to talk to him

"Are you alright?" the Professor asked.

Sylvain flashed him his trademark smile. "Ready as I'll ever be Professor."

"You're fine with fighting your brother?"

"Miklan's had this coming for a long time. I won't hold back and get myself killed. Can't disappoint the girl's back at the monastery after all."

"I'd imagine the women would be disappointed at the sight of you coming back," Lorenz commented.

Lysithea watched from a short distance as Lorenz joined the two of them. Though not an entirely untrue statement, it was surprising for her that it would come from Lorenz. The only person she had seen him insult like that was Claude and like Claude Sylvain seemed to take it in stride.

"I'm sure they'll miss me more than you and your haircut," the red-haired noble responded smoothly

She had to suppress a chuckle. Lorenz's haircut was absolutely terrible and it made one wonder how he, and perhaps his family, ever thought that was a good idea.

"This is but the fine mane of a paragon of nobility. Though I am sure you won't understand," the purple-haired noble responded.

"Paragon? You're just pretentious."

"And you're shallow and flippant."

"Better shallow and flippant than to think I'm better than everyone else just because of my birth."

Lorenz scoffed. "We the nobility are born with a responsibility to serve the common man. It is because of our heritage that we are suited to lead them."

"It's always blood with you Lorenz. We aren't any better just because we were born with a Crest."

"Crests aren't the only reason. We are born with the name, the resources, the education, everything that we might need to help guide the future of Fodlan. Is it not our responsibility considering the resources given to us?"

"You think too highly of nobility in general. I mean Lysithea here can agree with me, can't you?" Sylvain glanced back at her having apparently noticed her presence.

Lorenz quickly turned around and she noticed the shock and then hesitation in his face upon seeing her. "Lysithea I didn't notice you there. I apologize, we should focus on the task at hand," he replied quickly.

Ever since her fit in the Mess Hall, Lorenz had become cautious around her. He was quick to see if she needed help, quick to apologize, and avoided any conversation about the nobility or the future of Fodlan around her. It had gotten to the point where she had actually missed his conversations of nobility if only because he expressed a confidence during that time that he wasn't willing to show around her nowadays.

"Sylvain. Are you sure you'll be fine with fighting your brother?" Lysithea asked once more.

"I have to admit. I do wonder about that," Lorenz admitted.

"Worried about me?" Sylvain asked Lorenz.

"We might have a-" the purple hair noble glanced at Lysithea, "responsibility but even then, there is only so much that can be asked of us. You do not have to confront your brother if you do not wish."

"My brother threw me into a well to die as a kid. He has it coming to him."

"Ah. Then perhaps I can help see to it that you can confront him yourself if that's your wish."

"If it can be arranged but I won't let personal feelings jeopardize the mission. If you have a clear shot of him then take it. I don't mind as long as he's dead."

"As you wish."

* * *

The first thing that Lysithea noticed as the fighting started in the Conand tower was the close proximity that both Raphael and Lorenz were keeping to her. Though it was an effective and commonly used strategy in the past to protect her and the other magic users in their group, she wasn't as vulnerable as she was before. Her stamina had improved and she could hold her own in a brief swordfight should anyone get too close, but the issue was that she never had a chance to use it. Anytime someone had even a chance of threatening her Raphael would simply stand in their way. And anytime she tried to get in range to strike someone with her magic Lorenz would walk forward to dispatch them with his own magic before she could even cast a spell.

Lorenz was a bit physically sturdier than she was, so he was placed closer to the frontlines. This in addition to the additional range that his House's relic had given to him had made it impossible for her to reach the enemy before he would. Most of them were dispatched by the time she was in range and the few that were still standing only took her a single wave of her hand to finish off.

They were preventing her from fighting. That much was clear, and it was frustrating to be coddled by them. To be treated like some sort of weak child. However, she couldn't complain about it. They were staying within formation and following the Professor's orders as needed. She had no right to complain, frustrating as it was. All she could do was stand back and let them deal with the enemies for her.

"Reinforcements coming in from the entrance," Gilbert suddenly informed them.

That meant they risked getting flanked from behind.

"Numbers and weapons?" the Professor asked him.

"Two thieves. Perhaps more incoming. I'll stand back to intercept them." Smart, the thieves would do little against the defenses his armor provided him.

"Lysithea and Leonie you go with him to deal with the reinforcements."

"On it Professor," Leonie saluted.

"Perhaps I should take Lysithea's place," Lorenz suddenly suggested much to Lysithea's annoyance. "Thyrsus will give me sufficient range to deal with them."

The Professor shook his head much to her relief. "We need you on the frontlines. Gilbert will be able to hold off any physical attacker while Lysithea and Leonie can deal with any mages."

"Understood Professor," Lysithea quickly replied and headed to the entrance before Lorenz could object again. She was glad to finally have a chance to contribute.

"Did something happen with you and Lorenz?" Leonie commented as they followed Gilbert.

"No," Lysithea replied quickly.

"He just seems quieter around you like he's afraid of something. Even Raphael spent most of the march staring at you."

"They're just treating me like a kid as usual. Nothing to worry about." It wasn't surprising that Leonie and perhaps other people in the class were noticing the way those two acted differently around her. Neither of them was very subtle, unlike the Professor or Lindhart surprisingly enough.

Leonie stayed silent though it was clear that she hadn't fully accepted her answer.

The two of them made their way to the entrance where Gilbert had already begun engaging the two thieves. Though their swords did little against his heavy armor he seemed to have a hard time landing a blow against their swift movements.

This Leonie solved with a single arrow to one of their legs. With the thief crippled, he was helpless as Gilbert casually walked up to him and cleaved him with his axe. The other thief charged at the two of them and dodged the Swarm Lysithea sent at him. He quickly got close and swung his sword only for her to block it with her own.

After trading a few blows, it was clear that he had the advantage as she couldn't land any significant wounds on him. However, she was still able to hold her own long enough for Leonie to walk up and stab him in the leg with her spear. This made it simple for Lysithea to land a heavy blow across his chest. She then finished him off with a Miasma when it was clear that even that cut, she had just made wasn't enough to kill him.

"Not bad. You're getting pretty decent with a sword," Leonie commented.

"I could hardly do any damage with it though."

"You might need a little more muscle, but your footwork is good and least you can protect yourself now."

"I guess."

"Two more mages coming," Gilbert shouted out before stepping back as he would be vulnerable to their magic with his heavy armor.

Lysithea and Leonie would then each engage one mage. Fighting a mage was significantly more comfortable for Lysithea as she repelled and matched each spell thrown at her with her own. Once she had significantly weakened him with her magic she ran up and finished him off with her sword. Best to get what sword practice she could after all.

This time she was able to cut him down through his significantly fragile defenses. She withdrew her bloody blade from his gut just as Leonie had turned the other mage into a pincushion with her arrows.

"Let us make our way back to the main force," Gilbert said as he then led them back.

In all likelihood though the Professor would probably be done by the time they rejoined them. Barring any unforeseen circumstances of course.

* * *

Sylvain had heard plenty of praise over the abilities of Professor Eisner on the battlefield but to see it himself wasn't just a confirmation of the rumors, but perhaps a sign that they hardly did him justice. He was a Demon on the battlefield meticulously cutting down every man in front of him. Not a single wasted movement, each swing methodical and with purpose. An incredible focus in a fight yet he still had the ability to call out orders on the battlefield.

He was a true born warrior and leader. Sylvain could finally see why Dimitri had once desired that this man become their Professor. The Golden Deer rallied around him. They listened to every order and fought like a cohesive unit. Even Hilda who Sylvain had once thought was just delicate maiden was cleaving men in half with the broad strokes of her axe, sometimes with a smile on her face.

Sylvain shuddered a little at the sight. It was definitely impressive, but it made him reconsider the idea of inviting her on a date. Although he could definitely imagine some of the things they could do in a bed with that frame of hers. Something to consider for another time as he charged forward and skewered an archer with his spear.

And just like that the path to Miklan was clear, though Sylvain held himself back and waited for the Professor's orders.

The Professor nodded to him signaling him permission to strike first.

Sylvain shot him a smile before kicking his horse and sending it into a charge toward his brother.

Miklan would notice him and with a single pivot his shield would meet his spear.

"I'm here for the Lance of Ruin, Miklan. Hand it over. I don't want to humiliate you, but I will."

"Hmph! Hurry up and die already. If not for you… If it hadn't been for you…"

"Shut up! I'm so tired of hearing that. You've always blamed me for something that isn't my fault." Sylvain swung again only for him and his horse to be pushed back with a single swing of the Lance of Ruin. He immediately had his horse retreat and create some distance between the two of them.

Though he was more mobile on his horse Milklan's armor and shield was thick. The Lance of Ruin was also much more dangerous than he had anticipated. Despite Miklan not having a Crest, the relic was still an incredibly powerful weapon. Trying to trade blows with just his steel spear would be a death sentence.

Of course, Sylvain wasn't much like the Knights of Farghus. He never really liked looking for a fair fight.

A familiar whip like sword would fly through the air and wrap itself around the Lance of Ruin.

"What!?" Miklan shouted as he struggled to move his weapon.

Sylvain took this as a chance to charge his horse forward and thrust with his spear. With just his shield to defend himself, Miklan would end up taking a few small cuts in the next engagement before he could finally get the Lance free. By the time he did so though Sylvain had already retreated out of his range.

Miklan would only have a few minutes to glare at him before the Professor charged him with the Sword of the Creator. Both relics would clash as his brother and Byleth fought to a standstill that would occasionally be interrupted by Sylvain riding in and landing a few blows when he saw an opening.

It wasn't like the Professor needed much help in the first place, but Sylvain felt he might as well do his part. His brother couldn't just rely on the strength of their relic against the Professor's sword and unfortunately for him it seemed that his lance work was rather sloppy. He had always been too mad to practice with the lance much after he had lost his rite as heir.

With a single swing of his sword the Professor would knock Miklan back.

"Not bad for your kind…" he said, clearly worn out from the fighting. "A bunch of spoiled rotten children." What he didn't notice though was the Crest stone of lance glowing and black tendrils emerging from it.

"Miklan drop the Lance!" Sylvain shouted out as a warning.

His brother was too late. By the time he noticed what was wrong his arm had already been completely engulfed. "What the hell!?" Miklan screamed as he tried to tear the tendrils off his arm only for his other hand to be consumed. His screams filled the air as the tendrils continued to engulf his entire body and even as they began to cover his mouth. His entire body was consumed, and the tendrils seemed to get even larger as they gathered up around him.

"Damn! Look at that… I'm outta here!" the rest Miklan's men would run away at the sight. Leaving the rest of the Golden Deer alone to watch what was happening.

From the tendrils would emerge a large reptilian like beast with scales and spikes made of bone. It opened its mouth with its many sharp teeth began to eat one of the bandits that had been too scared to run away. After it finished it meal it turned towards Sylvain with bright red eyes.

Sylvain liked to think that there was little that could scare him, but to see his own brother become this thing before his very eyes and for that monster to now train his eyes on him. Even he had frozen from fear.

It charged him.

He was too late to raise up his lance.

It reared its leg to swipe at him. Sylvain would've been cleaved in two had it not been for the blast of fire that knocked the leg aside and gave him enough room to duck. Lorenz, the source of that fire, would then run in and stab the creature's side with his spear. Both the fire and spear hardly seemed to do much against its armor.

"You must move Sylvain!" Lorenz shouted before being knocked aside by the beast. The beast focused his attention on him only to be distracted by a gale of wind by Lindhart.

Sylvain took the chance they gave him and charged his horse forward. He landed a scratch on one of its legs before retreating to a safe distance. Or what he assumed to be a safe distance. What Sylvain didn't expect was for the beast to rip out a giant chunk of rock out of the ground and throw it at him. The rock would've crushed him and his horse had the Professor not slashed it into two with his extended sword.

"Spread out," the Professor shouted. "Batter it from all sides until we break its armor!"

Raphael would take that as permission to run and punch the beast in the face. Simple but effective. With the creature's attention focused on him, the rest of Golden Deer would be able to get in their positions around it.

Sylvain felt something tap his back and looked down to find Claude standing next to him. "You heard the Teach. Unless you want to sit this one out." The leader of Golden Deer shot him a smile.

His fear now forgotten, Sylvain adjusted himself on his saddle and tightly gripped his spear. "Run away and leave the hard part to all of you? How could I look at the girls back in the Monastery?"

"That's what I like to hear."

Claude aimed his bow to shoot and Sylvain charged once more into the fray.


	16. Chapter 16

It was clear to Lysithea that something had gone terribly wrong the second she had heard the cries of some Demonic Beast in the distance. It was a primal roar, loud enough to shake the very foundation of the tower and to send most of the remaining bandits in the tower running. She could only imagine what the sort of monster that would make a sound like that or to cause these people run with such unprecedented fear on their faces.

She needed to get the Professor quick, but she was hardly much of a runner, even with her sword training. It didn't take long for her to be exhausted from running and for both Leonie and Gilbert to get ahead of her.

"Go on!" Lysithea shouted to them when they paused for a moment to let her catch up. "I'll be there soon!"

"Stay safe alright," Leonie shouted back before she and Gilbert ran to reinforce the rest of the class.

It was frustrating at times how slow on her feet she really was compared to the rest of the class and how little stamina she actually had when it mattered.

After several frustrating minutes of light jogging through the hallways and a few flights of stairs, Lysithea would finally see the beast that the Golden Deer were fighting. It was a bit, ugly, and loud thing. Its skin seemed to be made of rock or bone which only made it surprisingly resilient to the blows that her class was able to deal it.

Leonie and Gilbert had already joined in the fighting with the latter working to hold the attention of the beast. Raphael who had received some heavy wounds, likely due to his tendency to protect his classmates at the expense of himself, was off to the side being healed by both Lindhart and Marianne.

"Hey Sis," Raphael greeted her wearily upon seeing her as if he wasn't at risk of bleeding to death on the floor. "We got this."

"You most certainly do," Lysithea replied as she gripped her fist and stomped her way over to the beast, fully intent on repaying it some of the damage it did to him.

"I think she's mad," Raphael commented.

"Stay still. It makes it harder to heal you if you move around," Lindhart complained.

She made her way over to Lorenz who had just finished casting a fire spell with his relic and grabbed Thyrsus out of his hand.

"Lysithea what are you-," his eyes then widened as she pointed the relic and began to channel her magic through. "Oh, no. No, no, no! Get out of the way!"

At least three of the Golden Deer would look back having heard Lorenz's cries. Their eyes would widen at the sight of Lysithea with Thyrsus before doing as Lorenz said.

Good now she had a clear line of sight.

The Crest of Gloucester would manifest, and she would release Seraphim. It was an offensive faith magic suited for killing beasts, creatures, or monsters. It would fly through the air, hit the beast in its chest, and rip off a chunk of its armor.

This, along with the numerous blows her class had dealt, disoriented the beast and left it open to being attacked by the rest of the class. It was a chance that neither she nor her Professor was willing to waste.

"Strike it with all you have!" the Professor demanded.

The entirety of Golden Deer would blast, stab, strike, and shoot at the beast with everything that they had.

Claude and Ignatz would shoot at it with arrow after arrow, Leonie, Sylvain, and Lorenz would continue stabbing at its joints with their spears, Hilda and Gilbert would cleave its body with their axes, the Professor would slice through its skin like butter with his relic, and even Marianne had taken a break from healing the stable Raphael to throw a blizzard into the exposed hide.

What would finish it though was another Seraphim that Lysithea would cast through Thyrsus. The spell would slam into the side of its head and cause it to scream in pain before finally toppling over to the side.

Lysithea lowered the staff once the beast was down.

"When did you learn Seraphim, Lysithea?" Lindhart was the first to ask after the entire class took a moment to catch their deaths and process what had just happened.

"A few days ago," Lysithea informed him. "I didn't tell the Professor because I wasn't sure if I could cast it yet." Somewhat like Dark Spikes, Seraphim was meant to deliver devastation to a certain type of enemy which that Demonic Beast happened to be. It was quite fortunate that she decided to learn the spell when she did.

"Was that your first time casting it?"

"Yes," she admitted.

"That was rather reckless of you."

It was actually. Even if it was faith magic trying to cast a spell like that without much practice was dangerous, especially with the extra power that Thyrsus granted to her. "It's fine I was quite confident in my capabilities," she said as walked over to Lorenz and put his relic back in his hands.

"Lysithea are you alright?" Lorenz asked as he took his relic back. "Have you not overexerted yourself?"

"I've only had to use Gloucester a few times thanks to you and Raphael. I can assure that I've hardly pushed myself this time."

"I'm quite glad to hear that," Lorenz sighed.

In the end she had done her part in the mission and she hadn't had to use her Crests much. Her next fit probably wouldn't be as intense as the previous two thanks to them, and she had to be grateful for that in a way.

Lysithea made her way to where the beast laid prone on the ground. "Where did this thing even come from?" she asked.

It really didn't make sense. It was much too big and much too loud for the thieves to have hidden it in the tower without them noticing. You also had to be a real monster or perhaps a madman to try and tame one of these.

"Its… was my brother," Sylvain informed her.

"What?"

This thing was Sylvain's brother? A bit difficult to see the resemblance.

"The relic, the Lance of Ruin, it turned him into this thing."

"Are you saying that using a Heroes Relic could turn us into these things!?" Lysithea pointed to the beast. She looked in horror at the staff in Lorenz's hands and the sword in the Professor's.

"Sylvain, your brother never had a Crest, right?" Claude would be the one to ask.

"Reason why he was lost the right to be heir when I was born," Sylvain confirmed.

"So, I think it's safe to assume that he turned into this… thing because he didn't have the Crest to wield the relic. We would probably be hearing a lot more reports of people getting turned into monsters if the relics were capable of transforming people with the right Crests… that is assuming the Church isn't covering it up."

"If the Church is covering up the fact the Relics can turn people into monsters then we should move cautiously in the future," Lysithea commented.

Claude's theory made sense, but she couldn't help but still feel uncomfortable. Mostly because she refused to consider anyways that her two Crests might actually be helpful.

"It'll still be our best bet to do some research on Relics then if only to ensure that this doesn't happen again," Lysithea continued as she walked up to peer into its mouth. It was disgusting thing, with a large tongue and mouth filled with drool. As if it was still hungering for something even after its death.

"Professor what do you thi- Ah!" Lysithea barely had to time to let out a yelp as the Professor suddenly lunged forward to grab her arm and throw her to the side. He then raised his blade and slashed the beast across the eye as it tried to bite her from where she had been standing.

The Professor tried to swing again, only to be knocked aside by a swing of its arm. It then craned its neck and lunged its head toward Lysithea with an open mouth.

Lysithea took out her blade and pointed it at the beast in a futile attempt to stop it. The Crest of Charon manifested, and she felt her magic being pumped into her sword giving it a red glow. Her body moved without thinking. Perhaps it was instinct or perhaps it was desperation born out of deep-seated fear of death, but she forced herself to move forward and thrust her blade into the beast's open mouth.

She closed her eyes and screamed in pain as the beast's teeth raked her arms. She expected it to bite down, to tear her arms off before proceeding to rip into the rest of her bodies. The bite never came though. In fact, she could feel blood that was clearly not her own pour down onto her arms and body.

Lysithea opened her eyes and found herself staring into two red eyes filled with anger or perhaps hunger. She looked down and saw that its mouth hung open.

Hilda was the first to react by running over and pulling her away from the beast's mouth. Lysithea's blade would come out with only a hilt and a jagged shard of steel remaining on it. The rest of the blade she realized had broken off and part of it could now be seen protruding out of the top of beast's mouth.

The beast finally collapsed to the ground and its suddenly melt away into a black glop. The glop would melt into the air and disappear leaving behind the Lance of Ruin on the ground and blackened desecrated corpse that Lysithea could only assume was once Miklan.

"Looks like those sword lessons paid off," Hilda commented once they caught their breath.

"They did."

Hilda gasped. "Lysithea. Your arms!"

Lysithea looked down and saw the gashes that had gone through her sleeves and raked across her arms. They were deep, red, covered in that beast's blood, and if she looked closely she swore that she could see some bone. "Oh," was all she could let out as a wave of nausea hit her and she felt the strength leave her legs. Whether it was from blood loss or the stress of what had just happened, she had collapsed and would've hit the ground had Hilda not kept a tight grip on her body.

"Marianne!"

The blue haired healer would come running at the sound of Hilda's plea and immediately begin working on Lysithea's arms. Hilda kept her sitting up as ripped off the remains of the sleeves. Lysithea trembled as Marianne healed her bare arms.

"Do you have a vulnerary?" Marianne asked Hilda.

"I have one!" Leonie shouted as she ran over with the familiar glass bottle in her hands. She popped it open and then angled the tip into Lysithea's mouth so that she could drink.

The familiar chilling, yet somehow refreshing, liquid of the healing potion would go down her throat and helped to revitalize her body. Lysithea could feel the wounds on her arms closing at a faster pace as Marianne continued healing her under the potion's effects.

After a few minutes the wounds would close up, though the skin underneath was still red and throbbing. "I'm afraid they'll leave behind some scars," Marianne informed her as she finished her healing.

"Well I'm sure that after some makeup and a bit of conditioning that you'll still be as pretty as ever," Hilda told Lysithea.

"Marianne do you have any more healing left?"

"A little bit why?"

"We should probably take off her shirt then. It's covered in that monster's blood. She could have cuts under there that would get infected if we left it on."

Lysithea's eyes widened and she immediately tried to move away. Trying to get out of Hilda's arms though was like trying to squeeze herself through a pair of steel bars.

She tried to look for help but the rest of the Golden Deer had already turned around to look away or simply left the area altogether.

"Don't be shy Lysithea we just need to check for wounds and get you a nice new shirt." Hilda commented as she kept a firm grim on her arms as Leonie began to tug on the end of her shirt.

"No!" Lysithea shouted too late as Leonie pulled it up and revealed her back to the two of them. They all froze and Lysithea immediately took that as a chance to pull her shirt back down and move away from them.

A few seconds passed in tense silence as the girls of the Golden Deer looked at her.

"Those are some… nasty scars you have under there," Leonie was the first to comment.

"Lysithea. What happened to you?" Hilda asked.

"It's nothing," she immediately replied. "It's from a long time ago." There were scars, many of them across her back and body. They had faded somewhat as she grew but they were still there and very much visible underneath her clothes.

"Those are very old. You would've been very young to…" Marianne voice faded off.

"What happened to you when you were a kid?" Leonie asked as she tightened a fist. "Who did this to you?"

Out of all the people Lysithea knew, the Professor had been the only one she ever trusted with all her secrets. Yet somehow, one way or another, they would be revealed to the people around despite everything that she did to keep them. First Lindhart and Hanneman. Then Seteth. Then Raphael and Lorenz. And now finally the three of them in front of her.

She could run. That was always an option. But they'd eventually catch up to her. Lying wouldn't work either. Now with how much their other classmates also knew they'd easily know she was hiding something, and one slip of the mouth was all it would take. One way or another it would all come out to them. Just like everyone else before them…

"I wasn't born with two Crests." Lysithea's voice was weary as she spoke. There was no point in hiding now, too many people knew. And honestly, she was just tired. She was just tired of it all. "It's impossible to be born with two."

"Then how did you get them?" Leonie asked.

Marianne gasped. "Lindhart was talking to me about Crests and how they could be given to people."

"What does that have to do with your scars?" Hilda asked. She was confused at first but that confusion soon turned into horror as she slowly began to realize what Lysithea had meant.

"A group of mages once invaded House Ordelia's territory. These scars are the results of their experiments."

"They cut into you and put those Crests in you? Why would they do that?" Leonie asked.

"Its Crests. It's always about Crests. People call them that they're gifts of the Goddess, but they aren't a gift. They're a curse."

"I… can understand that," Marianne replied.

"And your parents let that happen to you?" Leonie asked.

"They didn't have a choice!" Lysithea shouted. She wouldn't let anyone insult her parents. Not when they were all she had left. "House Ordelia was being controlled by the Empire. They couldn't do anything as those mages experimented on me, my siblings, and every single child in the household."

"Lysithea… I thought you were an only child?" Hilda asked tentatively.

"I was the only one that survived."

She watched their reactions in silence. The way Hilda gasped, the way Marianne began to pray, and the way Leonie gripped her shaking fist in anger.

"Who did this to you?" Leonie was the one to ask.

"You've seen one of them already. Mages with beak like masks and skin pale as death."

"That's why you were so mad back then," Hilda replied.

"It was the first time I had seen them since they had finished with their experiments. They just left after they got the results they needed."

"So, they threw you away after they succeeded," Leonie said with grit teeth.

"No, I was a failure too. My body can't handle the strain of having two Crests. Ten more years at most. Perhaps less." The horror that dawned on all of their faces and the pity that showed in their eyes, it was hard to look at it all. The only one that hadn't given her that look was the Professor and it was why she had been able to tell him. It was what she had wished to avoid for the longest time, to be seen as fragile and vulnerable. It was just frustrating to be seen as a weak child.

"Lysithea," Leonie was the first to step forward. Her voice was shaky as she reached her hand out. "Is there any way that I… we could help you? There has to be a way to fix this right?"

Lysithea pushed Leonie's hand away before she could touch her shoulder. "The Professor already said that he'll try to find a way to help me."

"The Professor knows?"

"Most of the class does at this point. Apart from Ignatz and Claude, though Claude's going to learn about it sooner or later if he hasn't yet"

"Then that's… great." Leonie tried to sound confident but there was too much hesitation in her words to inspire it. "I'm sure that Captain Jeralt's kid or even Jeralt himself could find a way to save you."

"I'm trying to believe in him, but I have to assume that I don't have long left to live. If you want to help then just… don't get in my way I guess."

"You shouldn't be pushing yourself so much then," Hilda argued. "I'm a delicate maiden but you're… even more. You should have the Professor let you stay back from now on."

"I am not delicate, I am not weak, and I am not a child," Lysithea bit back. "I am perfectly capable of fighting like the rest of you."

"That isn't the issue though," Leone argued. "If your Crests are the reason, you're dying then you shouldn't be using them. You should be staying back and resting as much as you can."

"What could I possibly learn from staying back!?" Lysithea grew angry.

"The Professor has been teaching you tactics, hasn't he? You could learn a lot just by watching."

"I'm not going to stand aside while the rest of you fight."

"Well I can't stand by and watch you kill yourself!"

"I'm well aware of what my body can handle."

"You're only going to end up wasting what little time you have left!"

"It's because I have so precious little time remaining that I can't afford to stay back and wait. If you want to help, then just stay out of my way!"

Marianne flinched at her words. "Lysithea you should-"

"Just leave me alone!" she shouted one last time before turning around and stomping away from them.

She didn't care how much they worried. She didn't care how much she hurt them. She just didn't care. She had other more important things to worry about after all.

Lysithea shot pass the confused looks of the rest of her class as she quickly walked past them and made her way out of the tower.

So… why were her tears threatening to come out? Why was it so hard for her not to cry?

She didn't get that answer even as she stepped out of entrance, even as she collapsed to the ground and began sobbing.

Why did it have to hurt so much?


	17. Chapter 17

**Your owl is running off again.**

Byleth had hardly registered Lysithea running off until Sothis had informed him. It was only then he had noticed the disturbed looks on Hilda, Marianne, and Leonie faces as they rejoined the group.

_Oh… I need to get to her now._

**I know it wasn't easy seeing her torn in half in that… thing's mouth.**

The sight of the student being snatched up in that beast's mouth. The sounds of her screams as it carried her into the air and bit down. Her legs falling off, her waist a bloody stump. Then it swallowed and the screams would stop.

The memory of all that was still fresh in his mind. Another failure of his to protect his student and it was only through some Goddess given power that he had been able to save her.

_It's just that even after all this time... it still is hard to see._

**I would be frightened if it did get easy for you. They're your students, of course their deaths should trouble you, but you need to be strong for her right now.**

_I know… I'll go to her_

Byleth turned to Claude. "Get the rest of the class together and gather what you can. We'll meet you at the entrance."

"Got it Teach… do you know why Lysithea is acting like that?"

"That's for her to tell you," Byleth replied before making his way toward where Lysithea had run off. She was hardly much of a runner and it didn't take long for him to catch up to her despite the head start that she had.

He didn't stop her though. He made sure to follow within eyesight all the way to their entrance where she stood outside and would eventually collapse.

**She's also gone through a lot. No child should ever have to go through what she has.**

_She isn't a child._

**But she is young. And she needs help. She needs you.**

_I still have no idea why she needs me._

**Because you listen. You do not lie and you do not judge. Sometimes all we need is one person to listen to our words to. To remind us that we are important… to someone at least.**

_Sothis_

**Oh, don't be sappy with me now. Just go to her already!**

Byleth nodded to himself and made his way toward his student. He kneeled down and put a hand on her shoulder.

Lysithea jerked and turned her head around. "Professor!?" She began to use her sleeves to wipe away the snot coming from her nose and the tears coming from her eyes. "I- Why are-… Shouldn't you be with the rest of the class?"

"Claude's dealing with it."

**I'd say that hardly inspires much confidence, but we do have more pressing matters to deal with.**

"Why are you here then?"

Byleth was unsure of many things. He had no idea why she relied on him, he had no idea how he helped her, and he had no idea why he seemed so comfortable in her presence. It was much the same as he felt with Edelgard and the rest of his students.

There was one thing that he did know though. "Because you're my student."

Lysithea stared at him for a brief moment as if to process his words before turning away in silence. They stared like that for a few minutes before she finally decided to speak.s

"Even if this student constantly causes trouble for you and her class? Even if she just lashes out at others, screams at the slightest provocation, and doesn't care about who she hurts with her actions?"

"Even I'll be there for you when you need me." No matter what, he would always help them, he would always come to them when they needed him. Even if he had no idea what he was doing he would still do everything he could for them. Much as his father did for him.

**You really are suited to be a Professor.**

"I've been... hurting a lot of people."

"You have plenty of pain to deal with yourself."

"I know… but it isn't an excuse to act so selfishly all the time."

"A selfish person wouldn't worry about their parents future and they wouldn't care as much about this as you do."

"What should I do then?"

"Be better. I've seen you improve yourself countless times. You can be the person that you wish you were."

"What I have no idea what I want to be? What if I don't have the time to figure it out?"

"You do have the time. I'll make sure of that." Byleth reached his hand out and hesitantly hovered it over her head.

**Just do it already. You've done it before.**

With Sothis's… encouragement he brought it down and patted her on the head. It was such a simple gesture that his father had done for him before and yet it always conveyed so much to him. He hoped it would be the same for her.

**I know it can be hard being a Professor, but I believe that its moments like these that make it worth it.**

_I think so too_

**Good… and just know that you'll always have someone who understands your pain. If it becomes too much than you can rely on me.**

_Thank you_

* * *

Lysithea marched at the very back of the group, making sure to stay far away from the other girls of the Golden Deer. Her emotions… were just to fresh to deal with them right now. She needed to get back to the Monastery so that she could bathe, change, and sleep in the privacy of her own room. Once she got some rest and her emotions had calmed, then she would talk to three of them.

"Are you alright Sis?" Raphael suddenly asked her.

"I'm fine…"

"What about your arms? They look pretty bad."

The healed wounds on her arms did look bad. "I'm healed. They just might leave a mark or two."

"Are you sure?" Lindhart asked. "There might be something I can do for you. A bit of an experiment I admit."

"It's fine." After everything that had been done to her body a few extra scars were hardly anything for her to care about.

"Lysithea maybe it wouldn't hurt to have him-"

"I'm fine Ignatz," she bit back. She was starting to get frustrated.

"Hey Lysithea." Sylvain suddenly came up behind her.

"What!?" she shouted. She just wished they'd leave her alone.

"Thanks for the help with my brother back there," he replied with a weary smile and a Lance of Ruin in his hands.

Lysithea's face softened. Despite what Sylvain had said before, what happened to his brother had clearly affected him. How it could it not with his own sibling turned into a monster that they had to slaughter. "You're welcome Sylvain, but shouldn't you be thanking the Professor?"

"Already did, along with the rest of you class. I'm not delusional enough to think that I should've been the one to finish him or something like that, but you all clearly risked yourselves for something that was my family's responsibility."

"We might be in different classes… but we're still fellow students," Lysithea replied. It was a sentiment of the Professor that she happened to pick up. "And I guess we should help each other after all."

"Are you starting to like me?" Sylvain's trademark smile returned to his face and her annoyance returned.

"I'm tolerating your presence."

"Well that is an improvement. Didn't you say to me that you had absolutely no interest in spending time with me? Several times in fact?"

And here she thought talking with him would be different this time. "Because you lack self-awareness and you treated me like a child when we first met. I have no time for false flattery."

"That wasn't my intent, though honestly I get why you told me off back there. I genuinely think that you're a genius."

"And there you go with the false flattery again. Do you really have to pull your antics on me in front of everyone here? Aren't there any other girls you could go after?" Lysithea glanced at the rest of the Golden Deer that were watching as they spoke. She had almost forgotten how exhausting it was to deal with him.

"It's the truth though. How about we get a cup of tea together and I can show you how sincere I can be?"

"That sounds absolutely horrifying."

"I won't do anything I just want to chat."

She sighed and began to rub her forehead. He truly was insufferable but perhaps she could give him the benefit of the doubt after what had just happened. "Fine we can chat back in the monastery."

"Over a cup of tea?"

"In the Mess Hall. As friends, nothing else," she replied firmly. "And if you try anything, then I'm sure you'll be fine with volunteering as target practice."

"Alright I know when to respect a girl's boundaries," Sylvain held his hands out in surrender. "And Lysithea."

"Yes Sylvain?"

"I'm glad you're feeling better again."

Lysithea paused as she watched Sylvain walk away. Had he seriously let her vent on him? If that was the case, then perhaps he was a bit more considerate then she had thought. She actually did feel a bit better.

"Glad to see you two are getting along," Claude suddenly walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "You must be happy that he's showing interest in a kiddo like you."

"Claude."

"Yes Lysithea?"

"You have approximately five minutes before I have regain enough of my magic to cast a spell and it isn't just Sylvain I'm willing to use for target practice."

"Plenty of time to talk then. So, what are you two lovebirds planning on doing? A little boat ride on the Monastery pond?"

Lysithea took out her blade and looked at what remained of it. Just a few inches of jagged steel of it remained. A few inches of sharp steel still perfectly capable of stabbing someone. She then looked at Claude. "Actually, I don't even need five minutes."

"Oh…"

Claude high tailed it and ran as she chased him with her broken sword in her hands.


	18. Chapter 18

Lysithea tried to stay calm as she sat on her bed and stared at the door to her room. Any second now someone would knock on it. It felt strange for her to ever invite people there, she had made it an effort to keep people out ever since she joined the academy. So, having not just one but three other people coming soon was enough to put her on edge.

"All you have to do is apologize." Lysithea said to herself. "Don't get mad, answer what questions they have. If they make you feel uncomfortable then just let them know politely… Or maybe this was a stupid idea and I was just better off writing them letters instead."

She had just committed herself to her new plan when she heard a knocking out at her door and nearly jumped out off, her bed. She reluctantly walked up to the door and opened it to find the girls of the Golden Deer behind it.

"Come in."

"Thanks for the invite," Hilda replied as she cheerfully walked in with Leonie behind her carrying a large wooden box. Marianne would be the last to meekly enter before Lysithea closing the door.

"What's in the box?" Lysithea asked cautiously.

Hilda flashed her a smile as Leonie put the box on the ground. She then opened it to reveal the contents. Inside the box was a pair of scissors, countless accessories, and a medley of jars with all sorts of different liquids inside them.

"Since we're all here I thought this was a good chance to do some makeup and even style each other's hair," Hilda explained.

"Oh… um… could I just say something first?" She wasn't against applying makeup or prettying herself like Hilda would often do, but that really wasn't her intention for inviting them to her room.

"Sure, what is it?" Leonie asked.

"I want to… apologize for the other day. I mean granted you shouldn't have pried-" oh damn it that's not what she wanted to say, "uh I mean I'm sorry for screaming at all of you and then leaving."

"No, I was to blame for questioning you," Marianne replied.

"No, it's my fault," Leonie replied. "I shouldn't have kept arguing with you and you're right I shouldn't have pried. It's your life I have no right to decide what's good for you."

"Thank you… I just don't want to be treated like I'm helpless."

"We get that," Hilda replied. "You never did like being treated like a child."

"Indeed. It's just that there's so much I need to get done and so little precious time I have. I can't afford to waste it by sitting aside and doing nothing."

"I apologize for making you help me with my studies," Marianne said. "I shouldn't have wasted your time on me."

"No!" Lysithea shouted before quickly holding herself back. She couldn't get angry at her, not now. "Helping you wasn't a waste. I'd be glad to do it again."

"Does that mean I can still copy your class work?" Hilda asked.

"I never gave you permission in the first place."

"Well…"

Great now she had to figure out how Hilda got her hands on her work in the first place. "I still refuse to help you cheat."

"Actually," Leonie began to scratch the back of her head, "I could use some help with the assignment Seteth gave us the other day during that seminar."

"Then we can all meet up again to study. I'm not letting anyone copy my answers though." Lysithea pointedly stared at Hilda.

"Fiiine," Hilda replied before reaching into the box and taking out several small vials. "What color would you like your nails?"

"I'm not sure. What would you suggest?"

"Well we'd need something to compliment your skin and the color of your hair. Unless…" Hilda moved closer and began to pick at a few strands of Lysithea's hair. "This isn't your original color right?"

"It isn't," she confirmed.

"Then do you want to try and dye it?"

Lysithea looked down at her white hair absent of any pigment. She hadn't really considered dyeing it, busy as she was. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Marianne replied quietly.

"I think it's a good idea too," Leonie commented.

"Yea. We can give you a new look for a new you," Hilda said.

Lysithea glanced at the three of them. "Okay then."

"Great!" Hilda clapped her hands before digging through some large bottle in the box. "What color would you like it then? Yellow? Green? Ooh maybe blue like the Professor!"

Lysithea recalled some faint memories of her childhood. Memories of before the experiments, when she still had her mother's hair. "Do you have any purple?"

"Like Lorenz or Bernadetta?"

"A bit lighter actually. More of a lilac color."

* * *

Of all the meetings that Lysithea had with Edelgard, she had never seen the Empress once lose her composure. At least not without the Professor around. That was why it was to her pleasant surprise to find shock on the future Empress's face as she arrived in the gardens where they would have tea before the Black Eagles left on a mission for the week.

"Lysithea? Your hair!"

Lysithea fingered a few strands of it. "Hilda dyed it for me. Do you like it?"

"It's just… different," Edelgard replied as she composed herself once more. "I never quite expected you to change it."

"I think it looks absolutely wonderful!" Flayn popped out from behind a bush. The green haired girl had expressed a desire to have a tea party with the two them, it was why they were having it in the gardens when usually it was done in Edelgard's room.

They took their seats and Hubert of all people would come up to fill their teacups.

"I do hope you'll enjoy your time here. It is not often that Lady Edelgard would show such… generosity," he said to Flayn in that very unsettling voice of his.

Lysithea glanced at Flayn in worry. She had gotten used to Hubert's… antics, but it would certainly be unsettling to anyone with a modicum of survival instincts.

Flayn though, to her astonishment, looked absolutely fine. "I am quite grateful for the invitation that Edelgard has extended to me and to you two for serving me," she replied cheerfully without skipping a beat before sipping from her own cup. "Quite exquisite. Is this a Crescent-Moon Tea?"

"Indeed. I have taken great strides to finding out your preferred tastes… among other things of course."

"Lady Edelgard is quite lucky to have an attentive friend like you then."

"I am but her loyal servant. I would do anything for her should she command it… or even not should I deem it necessary."

"A loyal servant with an exquisite taste in tea! If only brother could find someone as reliable as you, he always seems to overwork himself along with pestering me over my every move."

Lysithea couldn't quite believe what she was watching and nether did Edelgard apparently. It had taken her weeks to find it tolerable to be around the man and yet Flayn was handling him like it was nothing.

Even Hubert seemed perturbed by her carefree attitude. "I can assure you that very few would match my devotion to my liege."

"A shame then. We could use more people like you around."

"Lady Edelgard..."

"Yes Hubert?" Edelgard asked.

"I believe I should take my leave now."

"As you would."

Hubert left the area leaving the three of them alone to drink the tea and sweets that Edelgard had prepared for them.

"He was quite nice, wasn't he?" Flayn asked.

"Yes… he was," Lysithea replied hesitantly.

"So Lysithea, how long will that dye last?" Edelgard asked.

"According to Hilda four weeks at most. It'll start fading soon enough." It would only be for a short time, but it was nice to have a new look. Hilda was right, it did give her a new outlook on life,

"Perhaps we should dye your hair Edelgard?" Flayn suggested.

"That isn't necessary," Edelgard replied.

"It isn't necessary, but it would be wonderful to have a new look. I would do it myself had my Brother not forbidden me."

"I think you should do it," Lysithea suggested to Flayn. "He might be your brother but that doesn't mean he should have control over how you look. It's your life after all."

"I agree, but it would simply be more trouble than its worth. But Edelgard are you sure you don't wish to try it? We could make it Brown-"

"No."

"Or Green like mine," Flayn continued without pause. "Or even blue like the Professor!"

Edelgard's eyes widened and she had actually spit out some of her tea. "The Professor?"

"Yes. A deep radiant blue like the Professor and much like the ocean. I'd imagine he'd appreciate it quite a lot."

"I… that wouldn't be proper."

"It would only be for a short time though and I do believe that it would look wonderful on you."

"I appreciate the suggestion… but I do prefer my hair as it is. It serves as a reminder to me."

"A reminder of what?" Lysithea asked.

"Of the things that I should focus on."

"As vague as ever." Not that there was never anything particularly unpleasant about spending time with Edelgard.

"I could same to you," Edelgard replied with a smile.

The three of them would spend the next hour having small talk until Flayn would leave with Seteth who had come to pick her up for dinner. It wasn't until after the green haired girl left that Lysithea finally decided to confront Edelgard over certain suspicions that she had.

"Edelgard. You know a fair bit about me. Don't you?"

"What in particular?"

"Of how I acquired my two Crests and of the things done to my household while it was under the Empire's scrutiny."

"Actually, this is the first I'm hearing of it. Though I'm the heir apparent, I am still not quite aware of everything that goes on in the Empire."

"Still won't drop the act, huh? Despite how obvious you've been with concerns about my health. You're certainly consistent. Though I'm no longer in the mood for these games. Even as heir you would still have access to information that others would not. Clearly, you'd have heard all about me."

"Either way… I know now since you told me. About your two Crests, your physical weakness, and your limited life expectancy."

"I never told you how little time I have to live."

"Anyway," Edelgard continued without pause despite the glaring inconsistency in her words that Lysithea had brought up, "According to the principles of Crest research, it's impossible to bear two Crests. Unless… you've gone through a blood reconstruction surgery. Is that the case, Lysithea?"

"Correct. It wasn't as though I had a say in any of this."

"I see. So, you've lived through that relentless terror and agony… and survived."

It was one thing for Edelgard to know of what had been done to her, it was another thing for her to describe it at such a personal level. Lysithea was suddenly very aware of white hair that Edelgard also shared. "Edelgard, have you…"

"You're a good friend, Lysithea. And I value your company tremendously. So, I just ask that you don't overexert yourself. I don't want to lose you. Understand?"

"I understand." There was little else that had to be said, not until Edelgard was willing to confirm it herself. Though Lysithea certainly had her suspicions at this point.

"Heh. Good girl."

"Uh… you know I hate that."

Edelgard smiled. "Oh, and you can take those cakes with you for later. I'm quite aware of how much you like them."

"There's no need to pander to me! But… yea. I'll take those."

"And Lysithea… I like your hair."

"Thanks."


	19. Chapter 19

Lysithea had expected the Golden Deer to have a new transfer in their class. Cyril had worked incredibly hard to learn to read under the tutors that Seteth had provided him and had even gone to her a few more times for some additional tutoring. He deserved to be here in a student uniform, and she had a feeling it would be a good experience for him to learn under the Professor.

What she didn't expect though was for Sylvain to be sitting right next to him when she had entered the classroom that morning.

"Hey Lysithea," Cyril greeted her. "I like your hair"

"Hey Cyril and thanks," she quickly greeted the boy before turning to Sylvain. "Sylvain what are you doing here?"

"I transferred to your class. I love your hair too by the way."

"Thanks, but what about your friends?"

"They understood after I explained it to them. Ingrid was the hardest one to convince that I wasn't coming here to hit on a new set of girls. Though," he gave an appreciative nod to Hilda, "the girls here are pretty nice."

Lysithea rolled her eyes. "Do as you will, but I would like to inform you that I've recently learned Warp and I am more than willing to test it by throwing you into the nearest bonfire," she said as she sat in a seat next to the still sleeping Lindhart.

"I know, don't want to be a pile of ash. Pretty sure Bernadetta is already thinking of throwing me into a fire as it is."

She had just been about to ask Sylvain of what he could've possibly done to have Bernadetta of all people considering burning him alive when Claude began speaking. "It'll be fine she's actually much sweeter than she lets on. Must be all the cake she eats."

"I can assure that such sweetness has not nor will it be directed toward you for the foreseeable future," Lysithea replied. She had no idea how was going to get through classes from now on. Sylvain and Claude were going to be absolutely insufferable together.

"What if I give you some Almyran sweets I picked up from a merchant?"

Normally Lysithea wouldn't entertain such thoughts, but she had never actually tried Almyran sweets before…

"I will consider it."

"Anyway, have you guys been hearing about the rumors of a Reaper kidnapping students across campus?"

"I have actually." It honestly sounded like something Claude would say to her to scare but the rumors had spread quite far across the campus. It would certainly be a lot of trouble he was going through if it was another of his pranks.

"I've heard about that," Hilda commented. "Apparently this guy in really creepy armor comes out in the middle of the night to kidnap people. He also has a scythe!"

Wait a second… Creepy armor and a scythe for a weapon. "Doesn't that all seem rather familiar?"

Leonie perked up and shifted in her seat. "Yea that guy that the Professor took down two months ago."

"Who are we talking about here?" Sylvain asked for himself and Cyril next to him who looked just as confused.

"He was someone we fought in the Holy Mausoleum where Teach got the Sword of the Creator," Claude informed them. "Called himself the Death Knight."

"Not exactly the most original name."

"I agree, but he's still plenty dangerous. He gave Teach a run for his own money and even tried to kill Lysithea."

"He never even got close." Though it was certainly scary to imagine what might've happened to her at the time. "But if he is out there kidnapping students… then we could all be in some serious danger."

"Perhaps we should start traveling in groups from now on," Ignatz suggested.

"I hardly think that's necessary. I can handle myself."

"I do not argue with that Lysithea," Lorenz commented, "but perhaps it would be best to travel in numbers, especially at night."

"He's right," Claude agreed with Lorenz for once. "The Monastery's a big place and there's a lot of places a person can go missing."

It was at that moment the Professor entered the classroom.

"Hey Teach! Good timing there. We were just talking about the rumors going around."

"The one about the Death Knight?"

"Exactly. If that guy really is going around kidnapping people, then maybe we should have the class and the rest of the students travel around in groups."

The Professor nodded. "I've already informed Seteth and he seems quite agreeable to the idea. However, he also wishes to avoid the rumors causing a panic across the Monastery."

A bit too late for that.

"How would we organize the groups then?" Leonie asked.

The Professor looked at Lysithea. "I believe that Seteth has you and Edelgard keeping an eye on Flayn?"

She nodded. "Yes Professor."

"Then I'll suggest something similar with Hanneman and Manuela. We'll have students from all the classes from group with one another. This will help to build some comradery among you all."

"Great idea Professor," Raphael cheered. "So how exactly are you going to pair us up?"

"I have a few ideas."

* * *

"Why exactly do I have to travel with you two?" Felix asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Lysithea replied.

"I think that this is a wonderful idea," Flayn said.

For some reason the Professor had decided to add Felix to their group. Granted with the Black Eagles gone for the week on their own mission there was only the Blue Lions to mix up with their house, but why did it have to be Felix? She would've much preferred Annette or Ashe. Definitely not Mercedes though, Lysithea was still recovering from the nightmares.

"What exactly are the two of you doing anyway?" Felix asked.

"I have training with Catherine and Flayn decided to watch."

"Sparring with Thunderbrand Catherine." Felix immediately perked up. Of course, he'd be excited by that.

"You can join in if you like… as long as you keep what you saw the other day a secret."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about! The time you saw me," she glanced at Flayn before moving closer to Felix. "Indulging myself on cake," she whispered.

"Why would I care about that?"

"Did you at least enjoy the cake I gave you?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"I'm curious, from a research perspective. What was the experience like?"

"I don't know. I didn't eat it. I gave it to some kid."

"You… gave it… to some undeserving child!?" Lysithea couldn't believe what she was hearing. Had he seriously just tossed away the divine essence like it was nothing. Did the man have no sanctity?

"We've been over this. I don't like sweets."

"He does like fruit though!" Flayn commented.

"Fruits are fine," Felix confirmed. "Anything with added sugar not so much."

"Cake is not a "sweet." Cake is the divine essence of the heavens!"

"Everything has their own tastes." Felix glanced at Flayn. "Especially her."

"That's true, but life without cake is no life at all."

"I have to agree with her," Flayn said.

"I never saw you eating much cake," Felix replied.

"No. But I couldn't imagine living in a world without fish."

"I like fish, just not as much as you do"

"Then your dismissiveness regarding cake is inexcusable!" Lysithea said.

"Why are you two so fixated on this?"

"I simply can't resist the spongy magnificence of cakes."

"And I can't resist the naturally salty yet sweet flavor of fish and the way it breaks apart in flakes in your mouth!"

"I don't understand how you can be so dispassionate about it. You must come with me later to try some more cake!"

"And you must come with me to fully enjoy the wonders of fish!"

"No! I don't want either of them."

"Even one that I made with care, attention, and love even? What if I went light on sugar, just for you!"

"It wouldn't be light enough."

"Lysithea he is simply being too stubborn!"

"I agree Flayn."

"We must combine our efforts then and show him the wonders of both fish and cake! We shall cook him a dish made of both foods!"

"Uh, maybe we should make separate dishes."

"Alright just stop!" Felix shouted at the both of them. "If I promise to eat your separate dishes, will you two stop bothering me?"

"More or less. Just don't give it to some silly child this time," Lysithea replied

"I agree," Flayn agreed.

"Alright we can get this over with next week."

The three of them arrived at the training grounds where Catherine was already waiting for her.

"Hey there Lysithea," Catherine greeted. "I see you've brought friends."

"I am simply here to watch. Go at it as you wish," Flayn bowed before taking her seat at the sidelines.

"And I'm here to spar," Felix walked up with his hand already around the hilt of his sword.

"I like the enthusiasm, but I need to check on something with Lysithea first."

Felix nodded and stepped aside.

"What is it Catherine?" she asked.

"Your Professor told me that you've discovered a new move with a sword. Can you show it to me?"

"I'll try but I'm not sure how I used it that one time though." Lysithea took out her sword and held it in both her hands. She tried to remember what she had done before and forcefully injected her magic into the blade, but nothing would happen. "I can't seem to get it."

"Visualize the circumstances that made you use the technique. Remember the way your body felt as you used it."

Lysithea closed her eyes and did as Catherine instructed. She recalled the fear and the desperation she felt as that Demonic Beast had pounced onto her. She recalled the way her body moved, the way her Crest of Charon manifested, and she recalled the way it caused her magic to flow into her blade. It wasn't a steady flow like she initially done. It was fierce, like a tidal wave, with the magic threatening to explode out of the very blade itself.

She opened her magical reserves and pumped everything she had into the blade. She then opened her eyes to find that it had taken the same orange light as before.

Catherine and even Felix looked impressed upon seeing it.

"Soulblade," Catherine said.

"Soulblade?"

"A combat art uses a person's magical might rather than strength to strengthen their blows." Catherine took out a steel blade. "Take a swing at me."

Lysithea nodded and swung her blade with all her might. Normally Catherine would have no issue blocking her strongest blow with a single hand. That was why it was to her astonishment that she had forced Catherine to use both her arms to block the strike. Not only that but as Lysithea pushed she realized that Catherine was struggling, she was actually pushing the Knight of Seiros back.

The moment wouldn't last long though and the combat art would soon wear out. Once the sword stopped glowing Catherine was able to easily push her back.

"Impressive," Felix commented.

Catherine nodded. "Its strength is increased by its wielder's magical might and you definitely have a lot of that Lysithea. You're very dangerous with that technique not a lot of people would be able to handle it."

"Really?" Lysithea asked as she stared at her own blade. Though she had learned how to defend herself with a sword she had constantly struggled to land a decisive blow with it and instead had to rely on magic to finish an enemy off. With this technique she would be a threat both from a distance with her spells and up close with her sword.

"However, there's a weakness to it."

"And that is?"

"Use it again and I'll show you."

Lysithea lit up her sword once again and swung. This time Catherine swung with both her hands and their blades would actually meet at a standstill. Lysithea was elated that she could match blows with the Knight until she heard a crack. She looked down and saw the cracks on the blade. With a single push Catherine would then break the sword into two pieces.

"Soulblade uses up a weapon's durability like any combat art and the stronger the magic the more quickly it's going to break. With your magical power you're only going to get one or two swings with an iron sword and that's only using Soulblade. It'll break a lot more quickly if you're also using it for regular combat."

"What if she uses a stronger weapon?" Felix suggested.

"A steel blade would last three maybe four of them. A silver could last up to five. That's just an estimate though. And that's not considering how much stronger your magic will get in the future."

"Wouldn't it get her killed if her blade breaks because of that technique?"

"I have to agree. It seems dangerous for me to use it all," Lysithea commented.

"My best advice for you is to carry around at least two to three swords and save the technique as a trump card. It should be something used in emergencies or if you need to end a fight quickly. You could also pick up the swords of the enemies you killed and start using those."

"It would certainly have less of a cost on our resources if you kept breaking our enemies blades instead of ours," Felix agreed.

That made sense though the additional weight on her body would make it harder to move. "Are there any weapons I could use that could handle the strain of Soulblade?"

"Magic swords might last you the longest, though honestly only a Heroes Relic like Thunderbrand could handle your magical strength without breaking. Even then though you'd have to spend the coin and time to maintain it."

"Looks like I'll have to ask the Professor about providing me some swords."

"Why don't you at least give it a try?" Felix asked. "You have Thunderbrand's user right here."

"It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot," Catherine suggested. "It's probably the one thing that could handle your magic."

In the past Lysithea might've avoided touching Thunderbrand, but since they were so insistent about it… "I'll try it as an experiment," she eventually agreed. "Just this once."

"Wonderful." Catherine walked over to where an inconspicuous satchel had been left to the side. She opened it up, pulled out Thunderbrand, and handed it to Lysithea. "Now let's try it on a training dummy first."

"Agreed," Lysithea walked over to where most of the dummies stood, charged up Soulblade into Thunderbrand and swung. She was surprised to find little to no resistance. It was almost like cutting air. She looked up wondering if she completely missed the dummy when a part of it suddenly began sliding and then fell off. Somehow, she had completely bisected it by the waist. "Wow"

"Impressive. It took me a half a year before I could do that with Thunderbrand," Catherine commented.

Several cut up dummies later, it became apparent that Thunderbrand could handle the strain of the technique without breaking. It still wore the blade down though and it would need to be repaired by a smith after a good number of uses.

"It's fine," Catherine replied when Lysithea had offered to pay for the repair cost. "The Church supplies me with all the gold and materials I need to maintain this thing. Perks of being its wielder."

"That's good," Lysithea replied with some relief. Honestly, House Ordelia didn't have much money to spare on such things as it was.

"Spar with me," Felix suddenly requested. "With the relic."

"Are you sure?" Normally Lysithea wouldn't accept such a challenge from him if she had a choice, but she was pretty confident with her new technique and Thunderbrand in her hands. "I could really hurt you with this."

"Yes." Felix took out his blade. "It'll be a good warmup for a real thing."

It was so plainly said, clearly not meant to be an insult, but it infuriated her all the same. She struck hard and fast with Soulblade. She wasn't aiming to kill him. Just knock him around with his sword a little as payback for what he did to her in the past and was quite satisfied by the way she sent him reeling back with the skill. His posture broke and he was forced onto a knee some distance away.

"How's the warmup?" Lysithea asked cheekily.

"Hmph." Felix quickly stood up, fixed his stance, and charged at her once more.

Lysithea kept on attacking again and again trying to break through his guard. He would deflect every one of her regular swings though and had actually began to predict the Soulblades she occasionally threw in. Anytime she used the combat art he would do whatever it took to avoid it, even if it meant breaking his own stance or going to an unfavorable position. She couldn't press the advantage though, once it was used it left an opening that Felix started to take advantage of soon enough.

It became quickly apparent that her offense quickly outpaced her defense once she was forced on the back foot. It took everything she had to deflect his rapid swings and that left her with little time to maneuver or initiate her own counter. Eventually she was pushed closer and closer to a wall until she her back was against it. Once she was cornered, he quickly grabbed her sword hand to prevent her next swing and then held his blade to her neck. It was at that point she was forced to yield.

"Sloppy." Felix replied plainly as he reached for Thunderbrand

Lysithea tried not to give him any satisfaction as she handed looked away, stayed silent, and handed him the Relic. The crimson red her face currently was from exertion and the embarrassment from being so soundly beaten didn't help though.

"But much better than you were before."

She immediately looked up at him.

"You improve quickly. I actually had to exert myself to beat you this time."

To a stranger it would sound condescending but from Felix this was actually a compliment. "Keep practicing and you'll make a good sparring partner."

"Who knows," Catherine commented. "She might actually get better than you if she keeps up at this rate."

Felix snorted. "Then I'll work even harder to ensure that doesn't happen." He tossed Thunderbrand to Catherine who caught it. "You're next."

Catherine smiled. "I like your attitude kid. Try to keep it once I put you in your place."

* * *

Just as Felix had soundly beaten Lysithea, Catherine had done the same to him. Unlike her though he had seemed to take the loss in stride and even asked to spar with her in the future.

It was sunset by the time he had gotten her approval and they had finally made their way back. Rather than a straight back to the dorms however, they ended up taking a more scenic route on Flayn's insistence.

"After that impressive display of swordsmanship, I believe that you two should take the time to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery this place provides," she explained to the two of them as they walked along the parapets of the Monastery.

They were on top of a cliff face overlooking a vast forest below. With nary a cloud in sight they had a clear view of the setting as it slowly dipped down the horizon. A gentle breeze went by their way carrying the fresh air of the nature around them.

"You could come with us one of our class missions. You'll see some better fighting there," Felix replied.

"I don't think Seteth would ever allow that," Lysithea replied plainly as she leaned against the stone and took in the sights. It was certainly a beautiful and calming. She never really took the chance to slow down and enjoy these sort of things until now.

"My brother is rather overprotective. He was even worried about me traveling the Monastery with the two of you!"

"He has a point. You never know about the beasts they allow to live with you."

"You're talking about Dimitri, aren't you?" Lysithea asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Why do you call him that anyway?"

"That Prince you see is all an act. You haven't seen him once the mask comes off like I have."

Lysithea continued to watch the setting sun. Felix wasn't like Sylvain, for all his flaws he was sincere with his words and didn't lie. His blunt honesty might be hurtful to people, but at least she knew that he truly meant everything that he said. That he truly believed that there was some underlying darkness underneath Dimitri.

"Is he dangerous?" she asked. It wasn't too hard to believe really. She had her own darkness that she hid underneath, but it was hard to imagine what could lie inside that seemingly calm and pleasant prince.

"He's a danger to everyone. Avoid being around him, especially you Flayn."

Flayn shook her head, the large curls alongside her head swaying as she did so. "I do not think he is as dangerous as you present him to be."

"Hmph. Not like I expected you to believe me anyway. Just like the rest."

"I do believe you. But I also believe that Dimitri will be able to conquer that which haunts him, just as I believe in a future where you will use your blade to entertain instead to kill. To cut fruit instead of people."

Flayn was a hopeful person that truly believed in peace for the future. It was nice to think that maybe Lysithea could enjoy a few precious years of peace one the Ordelia house been dissolved and the people that had experimented on her be destroyed. That was another reason she was in a rush to at least have some time to enjoy the fruits of her efforts.

"We should head back now, it's getting late," she suggested. Best to get back to her room and focus on that extra batch of tactical assignments that the Professor had given her.

"Wait," Felix stopped the two by holding his hand out. "Do you hear that?"

Lysithea listened closely and finally noticed the nearby sound of a horse running on top of the stone. Who would be riding a horse on top the Monastery's walls?

Her answer emerged out the shadows as heavily armored knight with a skull helmet and scythe along his back trotted into view. The Death Knight.

"Flayn, run!" Lysithea shouted to the girl as she and Felix took out their weapons. Even at their best they would still be hard pressed to fight this thing and she and Felix were still exhausting from their previous training session.

"I can't!"

"We'll be fine. Just get help while we hold him off!" Lysithea shouted. She then turned to find Felix already locking blades with the Death Knight. The Death Knight wasn't swinging as fiercely as it had when fighting the Professor but even then, it wasn't long before Felix received a cut across his forehead. He was practically blinded in one eye as blood began pouring down half of his face. He was still standing, but it was clear he wouldn't last very long.

"There are people blocking the way!"

Lysithea cursed and finally noticed the five people in dark robes holding weapons that were blocking Flayn's escape. They were surrounded, outnumbered, and fighting a monster capable of holding their own against the Professor.

She began to gather her magic. If she could somehow take down the Death Knight, then maybe they could escape that way.

"Felix get down!"

He thankfully dove to the ground just as a large number of Spikes formed in the air and surrounded their enemy. Even the Death Knight had to pause at this display of magical might.

"What in the-" the Death Knight couldn't even finish its words as the spikes all fired at his location. They struck fast and hard, piercing through its armor and straight through the flesh of its mount. The horse let out a loud shriek as both it and its rider collapsed onto the stone.

Flayn helped Felix stand up and the three of them quickly made their way past the body of the Death Knight. They had only run a few meters however when four other men came into view in the distance.

"Damnit," Felix cursed as they were trapped once more.

Lysithea heard the clanking of metal close behind them and turned to find that the Death Knight had stood up. Its mount was dead, and her magic had done some serious damage to it judging by its blood that was pouring down to the stone.

"You are not the one I craved… and yet you shed my blood. Perhaps you shall be the one that will kill me."

She tried not to shudder under its gaze and its voice. It was intimidating and unnerving and yet its blood flowed red. Despite how much like monster it initially seemed to be, it was clearly a person and a person could be killed. Unfortunately, that person had help and was still perfectly capable of standing up to hold its scythe.

"I'm sorry," Flayn's voice shuddered as the men quickly closed the distance between them. It would take less than a minute before they got to them. "I should never have brought you two here."

Felix took up a stance and Lysithea began to cast her next spell. Likely her last one, but it was the only thing that she could do at the moment.

Lysithea then remembered a conversation of Seteth from a short time back. Of how knowledgeable his sister was with Faith magic and how she could actually be her tutor if asked.

"Flayn do you know Rescue?"

"It's been a long time since I last cast it and I don't think that's going to help us here."

"What's your safe range and number of casts?"

"40 meters and I only have one use."

Far enough to get them onto the next section of the wall. She didn't see any other people over there. They might be able to escape from there if they ran.

"Take Felix out of here and get help," she demanded as she put her hands on the girl and used her magic to cast Warp.

"Lysithea what are you-" Flayn disappeared in a flash of light leaving just her and Felix there surrounded by the enemy.

Lysithea took a deep breath as the spell finished casting. It was strange how calm she was now in the face of death. She had been struggling to live for so long and now… she had accepted it.

"I'm not leaving you," Felix shouted as he ran up and grabbed her by the arm. He growled and rejected her attempts to push his hand off. "I don't care what you say, we-"

"Seteth entrusted her safety to me. I need you to protect her and get her to safety"

"I won't let you get yourself killed in some vain attempt to be a hero!" Despite the rage in his voice, there was also a pain in his eyes. Pain from something that he experienced before.

There was a part of her that wish she had the time to ask, to comfort him even, yet all she could do was give him a weary smile as light began to gather up underneath him.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to bake you that cake."

He then disappeared in a flash of light.


	20. Chapter 20

**Have you ever thought about dyeing your hair?**

Byleth continued grading the stack of assignments on his table. The rest of the class did as he expected, but the new transfer was certainly peculiar. No matter the assignment Sylvain always had a knack for just barely passing and Byleth wasn't sure whether the student was lucky or simply much smarter than he let on. Probably the latter judging by the recent interactions he had with him.

_I have not._

Clearly Sothis had gotten the idea from Lysithea, not that he minded so much.

**What about green then? Like mine. We would match.**

_If it pleases you, then I might consider it if father is fine with it._

He didn't exactly have much attachment to his hair color, it was just what he was born with, but he would have to make sure that there was no sentimental value that Jeralt had of it.

**I'm surprised you still go and ask permission from him for so many things.**

_He's my father._

**And you're an adult.**

_Only family I had before I came here._

**So, you do consider me as family.**

_I'd rather not answer._

Jeralt had been his only family. Him and the mercenaries were all he knew for the longest time. Then came Sothis to him in a dream. Then soon after Alois would bring him to the Monastery. So much had changed in about half a year and it was sometimes difficult for him to keep up, but in the end if given the chance he would choose to do it all again.

The door to his room suddenly slammed open. He quickly put his pen down, looked over, and saw Felix. Half his face was covered in dried blood and Flayn was behind him was in tears. Most notable of all though was the one person absent from their assigned group.

**The owl is missing.**

"What happened?" he asked quickly.

"We were attacked on the wall by the Death Knight and his men. Lysithea is still there," Felix replied quickly

She wouldn't have stayed behind without good reason. "How did you two escape?"

"She Warped me… then instructed me to Rescue Felix… I didn't have the ability to take her with us also," Flayn replied between sobs. "I'm so sorry… I should've done more"

"How many?"

"At least ten including the Death Knight."

Lysithea wouldn't have done something like that unless it was truly necessary. It meant that she saw no other way out. That was not good to hear.

Byleth for once in his life had to bite back a curse. Had that… thing actually come to kill his students as it had once said it would? If it did, then he wasn't going to let it get away.

The flow of time reversed and Byleth quickly gathered his gear and weapons. Time was of the essence, every second counted if he was going to get his student back alive.

He was already fully equipped with the Sword of the Creator on his waist when the door to his room opened once again. Felix looked surprised upon seeing that he was already fully geared.

"How did you-"

"Later. Where were you attacked?"

"On the wall, on top of the parapets," Felix replied. "Lysithea is still there."

"Understood," Byleth replied as he left the room and found Dimitri standing nearby.

"Professor is there something wrong?" Dimitri asked as Byleth walked toward him. "I heard a loud noise coming from you- Felix what happened to you!"

"We were attacked on the wall boar."

"We need to get you to infirmary."

"Flayn's already healed me."

"You should still go to-"

"We have no time," Felix bit back. "We had to leave someone behind, she's still there with them."

"Another student is in danger? I'll gather the Blue Lions quickly."

"Agreed. Have someone you trust take Flayn to Seteth. Inform him of what happened," Byleth told Dimitri. Not enough time to wait for them to gear up though. He needed to head there now. "Felix where was the last you saw her?"

"Past the stairs between the Sauna and the courtyard, heading down toward the North end of the Monastery. You'll be able to see everything once you're there."

Byleth ran toward the location Felix specified. Hopefully he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Claude jogged towards the Golden Deer classroom in a hurry as the morning sun rose into the air. There was tension in the air as students went to their classes, a result of a kidnapping that had happened three days ago.

He had overslept, a result of his late-night escapades. He wasn't actually late to class though, no one was ever late to class after Lysithea's kidnapping. No, every morning for the past three days the Golden Deer would gather once in the early morning and then the afternoon to give out their respective reports of each of their investigations.

That was what he had been doing. Investigating for the whereabouts for one of their own

Claude had arrived at the classroom and all of the Golden Deer were already there. It didn't take much longer either for the rest to come. Even Lindhart was there and actually made an attempt to stay awake.

"You're late," Lindhart would say impatiently, very much like Lysithea would.

"Sorry got caught up last night looking for a lead."

"Did you learn anything?"

Claude's silence was answer enough.

Once they all gathered the Professor would stand up and address them. "Anything else to report?"

For the last three days the entire class had been scouring the Monastery and what areas outside of it they could for any sign of Lysithea. They only ever might twice a day, a meeting in the morning and one in the afternoon, while the rest of the time was spent searching.

One of their own had been taken after all, they would be damned if they could actually just sit around and have class like usual.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem that their efforts bade much fruit judging by how silent the class was.

"I've been talking to the guards Professor," Hilda was the first to speak. "But they have nothing."

"Same here," Leonie replied.

"I've sent a letter to House Gloucester. My father will keep an eye in his area for anything pertaining to Lysithea's kidnapping, but it is likely that they wouldn't even be there."

"Fodlan's a big place. Even if we have the entire Alliance searching for her that's still a good 2/3rds of the continent left unaccounted for," Lindhart commented.

"That's assuming she actually left he Monastery though," Sylvain commented. "I've been asking around and a couple of the girls outside the Monastery saw a few dark robed people come in a few months ago."

Claude had a feeling that their newest transfer would eventually pay off, just not in this way. They finally had a lead though.

"So? That was months ago. And I think we already dealt with them in the Mausoleum," Leonie commented.

"We never got all of them though. It just means that they've been hiding under our noses this entire time," Claude commented.

"Couldn't they have just snuck out?"

"If they had a secret path to go unnoticed then they would've used it coming in."

"Which means," Hilda's eyes lit up, "That they and Lysithea would still be somewhere in the Monastery."

"But we've already searched the entire Monastery, where could they be hiding?" Ignatz asked.

"No. There are some places we haven't checked yet. The Student dorms. The faculty offices, places we technically aren't allowed to explore."

"You're not suggesting that a student or a teacher there is in league with them?" Lorenz asked.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting. It's the only way that these people could've stayed hidden right under our noses for so long. They had an inside man."

It all made sense. The events of the past few months, how their unknown enemy could just pop in and out of the Monastery, they had been here the entire time and hiding right under their noses. They were a crafty bunch but now it was time for them to be cornered like rats.

"Unfortunately, this is all just speculation at best and if Teach were to report our actions to we could likely get expelled," Claude replied while keeping an eye on Teach.

"Do as you will, but avoid creating an uproar," the Professor replied quickly. Despite having the same stony expression on his face as usual, the bags under his eyes showed how much recent events had affected him. He had a nasty habit of taking up responsibility of too many things at once and Lysithea was one of them.

"Are you serious?" The entire class turned toward the doorway and found Felix standing against it.

"Felix what are you doing here?" Leonie asked.

"My class has already had their meeting. I came here to see if yours had anything useful to say." Felix looked Claude in the eye. "Is it true, what you're saying?"

"It's the most logical deduction that we came up with. Unless you've thought of something better."

"I haven't," Felix replied before turning around and walking away.

"Um… should we be worried about that?" Hilda asked.

"Considering that he's probably going to go around the Monastery threatening people with a sword?" Claude replied, "Probably yes."

"He won't go that far," Sylvan commented. "Probably. He just feels responsible for what happened."

And so, did Flayn judging by how morose she seemed the last time Claude had interacted with her. It was hard to get that meeting past Seteth's eye, but he had needed to see if there was any info he could pry from her that could be useful. Nothing came of it, but he had done his best to assure her that it wasn't her fault.

Lysithea wasn't the type to have someone make her choices for her and she wasn't one for needless sacrifice either. She did what she had because she knew that there was no other option, that there was no way out.

Claude still had every right to call her an idiot though once they got her back. And once she did get back, he would give her all the Almyran sweets she wanted. So many that she would become absolutely sick of them.

* * *

Felix stormed out of the barracks in anger. Talking to the Knights there had been pointless. Anything he could get from their mouths amounted to nothing. He decided to head to library next, it was the one place he hadn't been to yet.

It had already been three days since it all happened. Three days past of fruitless searching.

They never found anything on that wall. In fact, it was like nothing had happened. The stone was still intact with little sign of combat and even the blood that he and that Knight had shed that day couldn't be found on the stone.

And yet there was no denying that Lysithea had gone missing. That he and Flayn both swore that they had been there when it happened. Most people probably wouldn't have believed him if it wasn't for her in all honesty. He was used to that after all.

The Knights had been sent out to the surrounding areas. They found nothing. No Lysithea, not even a body.

The students themselves had begun searching in the Monastery. They found nothing. Those that didn't search were on high alert and constantly traveled in groups to ensure that another kidnapping didn't happen. Nearly everyone carried a weapon, even to classes.

Too little too late.

Lysithea's disappearance had only confirmed the rumors that ran rampant. It didn't take long after the Golden Deer's meeting for word to get around that there were traitors in the Monastery. Tensions ran high as people began talking to themselves, wondering who could have let those people so deep in the Monastery or wondering if they would be the next victims. Many were confronted, interrogated on grounds of being suspicious, but nothing came from it.

Felix himself had tried to interrogate a few of the faculty himself, especially that old man Tomas in the library. He seemed too calm for all of this, but unfortunately there was nothing substantial to pin him on. Felix was impatient but even he wouldn't widely lash out at someone until he was certain of their guilt.

"I've been hearing reports that you've been frightening the students and faculty," Seteth walked up to him as he made his way out of the library.

"So is everyone else in this school," Felix replied plainly. He was in no mood to deal with the man at the moment. "In case you haven't noticed, everyone is in a panic since one of your students were taken."

With Flayn almost having been a victim Seteth had the entire Monastery on high alert and sent an escort of five knights along his sister at all times. Five knights that could've been helping with the search effort for a student that had been actually kidnapped. It was clear where his priorities lied.

"You have been particularly confrontational," Seteth replied.

"Don't patronize me Seteth. Go back to your sister while I actually try to do something."

"Watch your tongue," Seteth's voice became firm and laced with anger. Felix realized that he had hit a nerve. "I might've been patient in the past with you, but I will not stand such words in my presence."

"Have you actually been doing anything?"

"I've been searching as have been the Knights of Seiros. We won't stand the kidnapping of a student and we refuse to let it happen again."

"Yet you have five of them guarding your Sister at all times. Five of who could be out there searching too."

Seteth hesitated for a moment, as if to consider his next words, before speaking. "I have reason to believe that Flayn was their primary target. Lysithea was simply an afterthought until she had gotten away."

"What makes you think that?"

"Flayn possesses a rare bloodline."

"What sort of bloodline?"

"I can't divulge anymore but I can assure that it is reason enough for them to have gone after her. Are you aware that Lysithea has two Crests?"

"I am… Are you telling me that was the reason she was taken?"

"Perhaps. If my suspicions are correct, then the people who have taken her would be quite willing to make use of her body with nothing else available to them."

It should've been him then that was left behind. He only had one Crest. They would have had less of an interest in him, might've just killed him there in all honesty, but that was likely better than what was happening to her right now.

"What are they planning to do?"

"I cannot say and the situation she's in is certainly dire. However, that doesn't mean we can tear ourselves apart in searching for her. You have spent most of your time searching alone. Perhaps instead of pushing people away you can work together with them. There is much more that can be done in a group than by yourself."

"Are you seriously lecturing me now Seteth? I don't have time for this."

"Just some advice. We'll need everyone's help if we are to find her and it would hurt the search process if you frighten them to the point that they're afraid to contribute."

"Tch." Felix looked away.

"I can assure you that I'm doing everything in my power to ensure her safe return."

For how long though?

How long would they keep searching? Lysithea was hardly the first person to go missing in this place's history. The general sentiment was that three days was the limit before you started expecting the worst. After that you were likely looking for a corpse.

So, how long after that would they keep trying before they eventually gave up and wrote her off as dead? How long until she would leave them all because some perverted sense of duty compelled her to stay behind? How long before she would just be a name written on a grave somewhere?

Just like Glenn.

* * *

Catherine returned from her patrol along the perimeter of the Monastery to no avail and stood at the training grounds, taking yet another dummy. No sign of any missing students, including the one she had been teaching.

She couldn't search at all times of the day, she was a Knight of Seiros after all and had her duties toward Lady Rhea, but any free time she had was spent investigating. Not that she was particularly good at it, at least compared to Shamir, but she had to do something. It was either that or keep swinging Thunderbrand in the training grounds until she broke apart every dummy that they had. She had already gone through most of them already.

"It isn't like you to be so restless," a voice called from behind her.

Catherine turned around calmly. "Any news Shamir?"

"None, though I'm meeting with Manuela tomorrow over some suspicions she's had."

Shamir was one the Knight's best trackers. If she couldn't find a trace of Lysithea than it was likely that whatever Catherine did wouldn't lead to anything either.

"You still haven't answered my question," Shamir continued.

"Yea. I'm restless," Catherine admitted. "I was training them the day they were attacked you know. If I had just stuck around with them-"

"You would likely be dead. You might be strong but there was only so much that you could handle especially having to protect the three of them."

"Hardly comforting there Shamir."

"Not trying to be. But I will say that you didn't know and there was nothing you could've done. You have no blame in this so instead of placing guilt on yourself, you should spend that time on something more productive."

"Practical as always."

"Have to be. One of us has to be the sensible one after all."

Catherine couldn't help but let out a grin at that. "And what would that make me?"

"The loveable goof."

"Well can't say that's the word thing you called me. Heard a lot worse when we first met."

"I thought you were just another knight who loved the sound of her own voice. You know, the type who's all talk, but useless in battle."

"Well, that's a bit harsh. You still think that?"

"The first part yes but you're surprisingly strong. So is your student."

Catherine paused. "You really think Lysithea's still alive?"

"I'm not much of an optimist, but I don't assume someone's dead until I see the body. If she's anything like you though, she'll claw her way out somehow."

Catherine leaned against the nearest wall and crossed her arms. "Who do you think could be responsible then? You've heard the rumors and I'm inclined to agree them."

"That it was an inside job? Most likely. Though I've had a few people accuse me."

"Well you're not exactly the most forthcoming person. If I didn't know you, I'd have thought the same."

"It's mostly because I'm Dagdan. The Duscur man following around Dimitri is also being watched."

Catherine scoffed. "I'm more suspicious than that man. He's about as loyal to his liege as I am to Rhea and I don't think Dimitri would have any reason to order someone's kidnapping."

"Can't change people's preconceptions. We're outsiders, so of course they're going to accuse us first."

"So apart from you two, who else do you think could've done it. Hanneman?" Not the most likely suspect but he did have a fascination on Crests that bordered the fanatical. Maybe he did actually start kidnapping people for his experiments?

"Hardly. He's been kept under tight surveillance since a few months ago. If he had contact with the enemy, we would've known."

"What was he under surveillance for?"

"Keeping a secret for a student when he should've reported to the Church. He's obsessive but he's not the type to do something like this."

"Manuela?"

"Like I said, I'm meeting her tomorrow to talk about some suspicions she had over someone."

"Could just be her throwing you off her scent." Not that Catherine believed Manuela could've done it, but they needed to think about all this as objectively as possible.

"Better ways to do it. She's too emotional, cares too much, and says too much while drunk. Would've been caught the second I put a bottle of wine in her hands."

"Jeritza then?"

"I don't know much about him."

"Neither do I."

"… And I haven't seen him once since the kidnapping."

"We should probably find and talk to him then?" Catherine immediately started to move only for Shamir to cut her off.

"You're tired from your work and from destroying most of the dummies we have. If we confront him now and our suspicions are correct, then it could get us killed in your current state. We'll go find him tomorrow."

Time was of the essence for, but Catherine knew she couldn't help if she got herself killed because of exhaustion. "We'll go there tomorrow then. And Shamir… make sure you're well prepared."

"I always am."


	21. Chapter 21

Lysithea opened her eyes to a cold dark ceiling and a hard-stone floor underneath her body. She sat up and tried to take stock of where she was.

She was in a cell. A damp cell, with only a single torch from the hallway to light it. It was hard to discern much around her, not that there was anything there apart from her. The stone underneath her felt cold and looked warm. She couldn't quite recognize where she was, but she was probably somewhere underground due to the sound of water dropping above.

The walls were worn, but solid. There would be no breaking through them. No, the only way out was through a metal bar door that she most certainly did not have the key for.

It didn't take long for her to remember the circumstances that led to her being there.

Hopefully Flayn and Felix would've been able to escape. She could at least die in some comfort knowing that she had at least done something with the short life that she had.

She stood up and found herself dizzy from trying to do so. There was hardly enough strength in her legs to keep her up as she shakily made her way to tug on the metal door that blocked the one way out. Locked, of course, and sturdy. No way for her to physically pry her way out, not with how weak her body was feeling. Magic might do something, but she couldn't draw on any of it because of the collar around her neck.

There were plenty of tools used to prevent a mage from casting their magic and they often took the forms of things like shackles or other restraining implements. A collar was hardly the worst thing to be forced on her. Demeaning as it was it at least gave her some freedom of movement and it wasn't tight to the point where it was difficult to breathe. It was impossible for her to tear out with brute force though and it too needed a key to open.

She sat back against the back wall and closed her eyes. Seteth would help her parents, he would have to after she had saved Flayn after all. It made her feel guilty to hold that over him, but she had to make sure that her parents would be able to live a peaceful life.

Her classmates would grieve for a while, but they could move on.

Claude would likely have to find a new target for his antics. Hopefully Hilda would keep him company and stop Marianne from blaming herself over every little thing.

Leonie would train even harder from now on, make sure that this didn't happen to anyone else.

Ignatz would probably paint a picture of her or something. She hoped it would look good. Lorenz would commission or probably buy it off him if it was good enough. A nice memorial for a fallen noble she assumed.

Raphael would be sad, but he had been strong enough to live on after the death of his own parents. He could definitely move on after losing her.

Lindhart would have to find a new subject to capture his and Hanneman's interest. He had shown some interest in Marianne but hopefully he would show some restraint after the mistakes he made with her.

Sylvain, well he'd probably start hitting on another girl again soon enough.

The one person she wasn't sure of was the Professor. Would he be sad? Would he show any emotion? She had hoped she hadn't disappointed him. She had done her best after all, hopefully he'd at least remember her as his student. Even if he didn't feel sorrow after her death, he would at least have the strength to carry on for the rest of his students. They would grow and become adults under him, that much Lysithea could take comfort in.

It would be best if they all forgot about her eventually. She'd rather that, than to cause them anymore pain.

The sounds of footsteps echoed down the hallway and Lysithea tensed up. She forced herself to stand as one of her captors came into view.

"You," Lysithea growled as the Death Knight appeared behind her cell.

It opened the door and entered the room. She could consider escaping but it was blocking the one way out and she didn't like her chances of fighting it without her magic.

"Are you working for those mages? Those in the beak like masks and pale skin?" she asked. She had her suspicions, but she needed to confirm them.

"I am."

She tried to suppress the despair that was threatening to overwhelm her. The worse thing that could've happened to her had happened. Those mages had taken her captive again. "You've already implanted me with these two Crests, deemed me a failure. So, what more do you want of me?"

"They've drawn your blood, but that is it." Lysithea pulled up her sleeves and noticed the red marks on her arms. They had drawn blood, a lot of it for that matter. No wonder she had been feeling so weak. "They have no need for you now. They would kill you or use what's left of your body for whatever experiments they please."

"Then just start already." Lysithea tried to hold back the tears in her eyes. She could remember the table, the masks, the needles. She could remember the pain of being cut into. It was how most of her life began and it was now how it would end. "Just get it over with."

"I was under orders to ensure the capture of the green haired girl so that they could draw her blood." That only confirmed that their target had been Flayn all along. "I have received no orders for you, however. Certain experiments will be allowed but they will not kill you, I can assure you of that."

"Why? What do you want with me?"

The Death Knight stepped into the cell and walked toward her. Lysithea moved back and continued doing so until her back was against the wall.

"I sense fear, hatred, and anger in you. Where is it pointed towards?"

"You," Lysithea bit back and tried to stop her voice from trembling. "You and everyone you're working for! I won't stop until every single one of you is dead!"

Lysithea's eyes grew wide as the Death Knight actually chuckled. "Yes. That's all that matter for you. No friends, no family, just that rage that keeps you living. Let it fester. Let it grow in you until you can't hold it back any longer." It stood back up and towered over her. "And then once you have tossed away everything, until you are nothing but Death itself. Then you will be ready."

This thing was supposed to be a person. She had confirmed that when she had struck it and it had bled red blood. And yet at this moment it was more frightening than any Demonic Beast, than any Ghost that might've haunted her. This thing was truly and utterly insane.

Lysithea's heart frantically as he kneeled down closer until the skull it wore was just inches from her face. "I have a need for you in the future. And once we rid ourselves of everything including our weaker selves, then we'll finally be truly free to kill each other to our heart's contents."

She kicked it. Her leg bounced off the metal guard of its pants, but she had just kicked it. It was there, it was real, and she could most certainly kill it if she could get this collar off and use her magic.

The Death knight glanced at the spot she had kicked, shrugged it off as if she was an insect that had just tried to bite it, and stood up. He moved back, finally giving her the space that she needed. "Much farther into the future it seems, but there is another, the one with the sword that might satisfy my needs."

"You leave the Professor alone," Lysithea shouted. It was stupid. There was nothing she could do and the Professor hardly needed protecting. And yet she couldn't stand the thought of this thing threatening him.

"Then become even stronger than him and I'll go for you instead." The Death Knight then turned around, left the room, and closed the cell door behind it.

It wasn't until he was finally gone that she finally collapsed into a sweaty and shaking mess in her cell.

She would be left alive apparently, but for how long? And what did he have planned for her?

She held her knees against herself and cried into them. Either way, there was no hope left for her.

* * *

Time had no meaning in the dungeons. Lysithea had no idea how long it had been since they had resumed their experiments on her.

She was a child again. Taken to some dark room where they kept poking and prodding at her body with her tools, while all she was too helpless to do anything but watch. The drugs they gave her made it hard her to fight back as they strapped her to a table, but she was still awake to experience everything that they did to her.

This was no longer a nightmare or a memory fresh in her mind. She was actually here again. The stench of burning incense, the sight of their beak like masks, the stiffness of the table against her bare back, it was just as she remembered it.

"Subject's body is degrading as expected," one of the mage's commented. "The strain of her Crests is destroying it as predicted."

"High magical affinity though? Was that recorded in the previous experiments?"

Don't fight. There was no point in fighting now. Just think about something else. Recite the formulas for magic in her head, replay the tactical scenarios the Professor would give her, just think about anything but the feeling of getting cut into by these people.

"Subject showed some magical affinity as a child, though current levels are unprecedented. Is this the result of her Crests?"

"Perhaps but our other subject shows only adequate magical skill at best. Might just be an outlier."

So, there were more like her. Others who had gone through the torture that she was going.

"What is the expected lifespan then?"

"Five years most likely."

Wait. No. That was wrong. She had more than that.

"I thought it was ten?" one of them asked.

Exactly. It had to be a mistake.

"No. That was a lie we told her. We wanted to see if a psychological impression could extend the life of the subject. It doesn't"

"No! You said I had ten years!" Lysithea thrashed against her bindings in vain. It couldn't be. She had to have more time than that. She couldn't have just lost half of what little life that she had left.

One the mages glanced at her. "Subject is getting frantic, should we increase her dosage?"

"No let her vent. Nothing she can do to us."

"Let me go! I can't just lay down here with the time I have left!" Lysithea continued shouting. She didn't care if she didn't have her magic. She would rip her hands free and stab them with their own scalpels if she had to.

"Somewhat funny isn't it?"

"Not so funny when we'll have to deal with this from now on. Subject knows too much at this point, can't be allowed free, but we can't kill her anyway because of the Death Knight."

"Just do as he wants until the Flame Emperor arrives. Even he doesn't disobey orders from them."

"Flame Emperor?" Lysithea asked as she tried to catch her breath.

"Our success and the one who will change this world. You and those before you should be proud for leading the way toward that."

"Proud!?" Lysithea shouted once more. Whoever the Flame Emperor was, she would kill them too. "They all died because of you. I'm dying because of you and you expect me to be proud of that?"

"What are a few lives for a new world in which we can finally rule?"

"You're all insane. The Professor will hunt you down, I'll hunt you all down. I'll kill every single one of you!"

"We are eternal. We have been here since the founding of this false nation and we'll exist long after you're dead." He grabbed her by the throat forced her to look into the holes of his mask. "You are not special. You are an inferior specias, another disposable pawn in the grand scheme of things."

Lysithea spit onto his mask.

"Give me the extractor."

"I thought we were supposed to keep her alive?"

"The Death Knight never said anything about hurting the subject."

"Understood."

They stabbed something into her and soon it felt like her entire body was burning. No matter how much she screamed and how much she thrashed, they wouldn't stopped. The pain kept coming, wave after wave of it, until she couldn't even move. All she could do was lay there and whimper as her body continued to shriek from the pain.

"Not so tough, are you? You should be aware of who's in control here," one of the mages taunted her as he finally removed the tool from her skin.

Lysithea gasped in relief as the burning finally stopped.

"I expect you to be more obedient from now on."

Her response was to turn her head, catch her breath, and then spit onto his robes.

"A pity."

He pressed the blades to her skin once more and the pain returned. She lost track of how long it went, how long she let out a voiceless scream. It was only until her vision clouded over and the darkness took over, that she was finally allowed to rest.

That was preferable to the reality before her though.


	22. Chapter 22

Byleth's steps were brisk and long as he quickly made his way to the faculty dorms. It was a bit of a long shot, but if several of the students of the faculty were to be believed, then Jeritza had been acting suspicious in the last few days. Granted he was always suspicious, even more so than Byleth himself was at times, but he had acted even more peculiarly recently. His absence during these events certainly didn't help either.

A scream near the faculty dorms was what alerted Byleth that he may have been right.

**I believe our suspicions were correct.**

_Agreed_

They arrived in his room and found Hanneman kneeling in front of Manuela who sat against a nearby wall. There was blood coming from a wound on her stomach.

"Are you alright?" Byleth asked.

"Barely." Manuela replied. "That bastard Jeritza tried to stab me from behind. If it wasn't for Shamir, I'd say he would've gotten me good." Her wound seemed light, though she was in no state to be running around.

"Where is Shamir?" Byleth noticed the absence of both Jeritiza and Shamir in the room.

"She and Catherine were busy chasing after Jeritza over there," Manuela pointed to hidden passage at the corner of the room. "I'd head down their quick if I were you, don't know what they'll run into down there."

"Professor I heard screaming," Dimitri appeared just out of the entrance of the room along with the rest of the Blue Lions. "Is there someth- Manuela what happened to you?"

**That Prince seems to have some very unfortunate timing with these things.**

_Indeed._

"Oh my," Mercedes commented as she kneeled in front of Manuela. "A little further up and it'd be quite the serious injury."

"I'm quite aware of that," Manuela replied before letting out an angered grunt. "If Jeritza really is the Death Knight, then I'm going to pay him back for this."

"Jeritza was the one who did this?" Annette asked.

"Stabbed her and escaped through a hidden passage, Catherine and Shamir gave chase," Byleth quickly informed the Blue Lions. "I'm going to go after them, who else is coming?"

"I'll help carry Manuela to the infirmary," Dimitri replied before turning to his second in command. "Dedue you and the others are to go after them and follow the Professor's commands"

"As you command your Highness," Dedue replied.

Byleth looked at Hanneman. "I'll need you to help me gather the Golden Deer and send them after us."

"Of course, Professor."

"Good now let's-" before Dimitri could say anymore, Felix would suddenly run past them and make his way through the hidden passage.

"Uh! Felix! Wait up!" Annette shouted as she gave chase.

"Oh no Annie don't run ahead without us!" Mercedes would follow soon after.

"It isn't safe you two. Wait!" Ashe ran after Merecedes.

Ingrid glanced at her running classmates, clearly ready to go after them. "Professor, should we?"

"Let's just go," Byleth replied as he ran into the hidden passage with the rest of the Blue Lions behind him.

**It'll be interesting trying to lead another set of students.**

_We'll have to make it work._

They arrived at an underground passage where Felix had already started fighting with two swordsmen. "Where is she!" he shouted as he pushed one away so that they could be blasted by one of Annette's spells. He then disarmed the other one and stabbed his sword into his thigh. "I'm not asking again, where is she." Felix dug is sword deeper into his foe's leg and prevented him from moving away.

"We'll never talk to an inferior species like-"

Felix took his sword out and lopped off his head. "Then I'll just have to cut my way through every one of you."

Byleth grabbed his shoulder before he could run off. "Wait."

"We don't have time to wait."

"You won't do Lysithea any good if you get yourself killed."

**I do believe he feels responsible for her kidnapping.**

_As do I but we can't allow our emotions to cloud our judgement._

"What would you do then?" Felix asked.

"You and the Blue Lions are with me. You listen to my commands and we'll be able to route the enemy without any casualties."

"I'd listen to the Professor if I were you," Ingrid commented once she caught up. "There's a reason Sylvain chose to be part of his class."

"I agree. We've seen how capable he is when we…" Ashe fell silent, likely remembering the time they had to kill his adoptive father.

Felix glanced at the rest of his classmates. "Hurry up and give us our orders then," he demanded Byleth.

"Dedue takes the front line with you and I covering his flanks. Ashe and Annette will provide ranged support while Mercedes stays back to heal. Ingrid the ceilings here are low so stay close to us and go in when you see any of us in need of help."

"What about those Warp Pads over there?" Annette pointed at the mechanisms scattered throughout the area. "I think we can use those to get around quickly."

Byleth shook his head. "We don't know where they go, and our group is too large. We'd easily get split up if we used them. Besides I think that Shamir and Catherine are already taking that route." It was likely the quickest route and with just the two of them they would be able to stick together easily enough.

"Hopefully we'll be able to meet up with them soon enough. Who knows they might even get Lysithea out before we do!" Ashe commented.

"If she's still alive," Felix grumbled.

"Felix!" both Ingrid and Annette shouted at him.

"She's been here for four days. We have to assume the worse especially when we're just standing around and talking."

"We'll begin the operation now," Blyeth replied before turning Felix around and looking him in the eye. "I know you're impatient, but you must stay in formation at all costs. It isn't just her life at stake here, we're all risking ourselves being down here."

"Fine. I hope you're as good as the Boar says you are."

"You'll see."

* * *

Catherine cut down another man with Thunderbrand just as Shamir shot down a mage that had been attempting to cast a spell. Together, the two of them had been using the Warp Pads littered around to quickly navigate the area. More than once they been met with a dead end or an ambush, but it was faster than trying to cut their way through the enemy's main force.

Or at least that was what she hoped.

"I'm starting to think this wasn't a good idea," Catherine commented as they stepped through another Warp Pad, only to be forced into cover by a group of archers.

"You're the one who suggested it," Shamir said as she popped out of cover quickly to shoot down one of the archers. "It does work in a way. The enemy can't gather up quickly with us popping in and out all over the place." She kneeled against a nearby wall and drew another arrow. "If anything, we can at least distract them for the others once they come. Assuming we don't get ourselves killed first."

"We'll be fine, I think. Just make sure to watch my back," Catherine leaped out of cover and charged at the archers with Thunderbrand at the ready. She would cut two of them with a single swing while Shamir finished the last one off. "So, which one next then?" Catherine pointed to the three pads in the room they hadn't used.

"I'd say the left one."

"Didn't we use that one?"

"No, we used the one in the middle."

"I'm pretty sure we just came from that."

"We came from the one in the middle on the other side."

"Are you sure? Because I distinctly remember that broken chunk in that wall over there."

"That's because you cut into it when you were swinging around Thunderbrand. I say we go left; you can follow me if you like." Shamir stepped into the warp pad and disappeared for about a few seconds before promptly reappearing again.

"… Dead end," Shamir replied as she tried to hide the blush on her face.

"Told ya."

"Doesn't mean you're right about the middle. We should head right next."

"Fine but if this is another dead end you owe me ten gold."

"I'll bet twenty."

Catherine took the Warp Pad and arrived in the heart of what seemed to a prison. If Lysithea was still alive then this was likely where she would be kept. "Best two out of three?

"You're paying for my drinks later."

They quickly moved from cell to cell looking for anyone inside until they finally reached the one at the very end. It was there that Catherine would find Lysithea lying on the ground. Her uniform was torn and stained with blood in several places. Most dangerous of all was that she didn't move at all.

"Lysithea," Catherine gasped as she slammed against the cell door that held her. "Hey! We're here to break you out!" She didn't respond no matter how much Catherine called her.

"Move aside," Shamir demanded as she pushed Catherine aside and began to work at the lock with her own set of lockpicks.

It was only after a few grueling minutes had passed before Shamir finally had the door open. Catherine rushed into the room and immediately cradled the fallen student.

Lysithea was pale and her breathing was erratic. It was as if her body was struggling to keep itself going.

Catherine reached into her pouch and pulled out a potion. She was wondering how she was going to get Lysithea to drink it when her eyes opened slightly.

"No. Not again… please," Lysithea begged. Her eyes were unfocused, it was likely she couldn't see who it was in front of her. "I'll listen now…"

"It's me," Catherine replied. "Catherine. Shamir and I are here for you."

"Catherine?... You came for me?"

"Of course, I did. And so, did your Professor. He's right behind causing a real mess of the enemy."

"Professor… I'm so sorry for being a failure… I should've been stronger… I should've done more with the time I had left…" Lysithea's eyes closed once more.

"Not good Shamir," Catherine said as she began lifting Lysithea in her arms. She didn't need to be a healer to know that Lysithea's condition was dire. There was a good chance she wouldn't make it if she didn't get healing soon.

"We'll meet back with the Professor then," Shamir replied before beckoning her to follow her out.

Carrying Lysithea in her arms, Catherine followed Shamir out of the hallway. The area was devoid of the enemy, likely distracted by the Professor and his class. It would be simple enough to take the Warp Pad they had used before to get back to them.

Or at least that had been the plan. Once they passed the gate, they would find the mechanism broken and the Death Knight standing over its remains.

"That is my prey," the Death Knight said as it sat idle on its steed and faced the two of them. "Release it and I might let you live."

Shamir immediately drew her bow. "Not good. Going to have to take the long way out."

"Well we knew that it wouldn't be that easy." Catherine had heard all about the Death Knight from the Professor and his students. That wouldn't stop her at all though.

"Maybe. But the only way out is through him."

The Death Knight didn't move as Catherine went to a nearby corner. She kneeled down and gently laid Lysithea down on the floor.

"You'll be alright," Catherine whispered as she gently brushed a lock of hair aside before standing up.

"I don't what sort of strange obsession you have with her." She stepped in front of Shamir, pulled out Thunderbrand, and pointed it at her foe. "But know this Death Knight! You now face the Knights of Seiros!"

"Foolish... Your deaths shall be swift," the Death Knight replied as he drew his scythe.

* * *

Felix set a nearby archer's bow on fire with a quick spell before running him down with his sword. Another body, another kill for his blade, yet that hardly satisfied him. These people were weak, simple to cut down and hardly put up a fight. That only made the fact that he couldn't protect protect two little girls from them even worse.

What did all that training amount to when he couldn't do anything when it truly mattered? He still couldn't beat the Boar; he wouldn't be able to protect anyone once he finally lost control. What would it take before he was finally strong enough to do so? What would he have to toss behind to finally be strong?

Even now, Felix didn't know the answer as he cut down another man in front of him. Grow strong so you may live and live to grow stronger. That was what he had been taught.

Yet the Professor was stronger. Faster, stronger, better with a sword, and an effective leader. He was both everything that he was not and everything that he wished to be.

Was this why Sylvain had transferred from classes? Felix had assumed he had done it to fool around again, but now seeing the Professor in action once more he realized that he was wrong. It wasn't just the students under him that improved, the Professor himself seemed much stronger than he had a few months ago during their last joint mission. Such incredible improvement in just a few months.

"How did you get so strong?" Felix asked the Professor during a brief moment that they fought close to each other.

"To survive at first," the Professor replied plainly before elongating his sword and flinging it at a mage that had been aiming toward Dedue. "That was life for a mercenary."

Felix watched as the Professor cut the man down with ease. "And now?"

"I have something to protect."

"Having to protect something doesn't make you strong, it makes you vulnerable," Felix replied as he stepped aside to let Annette fire a spell at an armored knight. He tried to protect those two girls on the wall and failed. Glenn had tried to protect his king and failed. Fighting to protect something was just another of those excuses that those Knight's gave. Chivalry, pride, blind obedience, it was just another one of their twisted ideals.

"I'm aware of that but I've accepted it and it is the reason I have to get stronger. Why are you so focused on becoming stronger?"

"Because that's how it is for children in my country. You're of no use if you can't swing a sword."

"Do you have any other ambitions."

"Why should I? Nothing's as important as the pursuit of strength."

"And yet despite what you say. Here you are fighting so fiercely to rescue a student."

"I owe her a debt and I plan to repay it. That is all."

"Well…" Byleth ducked under an axe and stabbed a man in a gut. "Strength for strength alone isn't enough. If you become too obsessed with it then you risk becoming a demon."

"Aren't you called the Ashen Demon?"

Dedue charged forward knocking a spearman onto the ground. Felix took that as a chance to run up and stab him in the neck before he could get up.

"I am… which is why I know the price of becoming one. It isn't worth it I can assure you."

And yet here this man was, cutting through men like butter. The Professor had learned from the former captain of the Knights of Seiros and traveled Fodlan fighting as a mercenary. Perhaps he would do the same. His father would certainly have words about that though. "I will beat you and I will surpass your strength."

"I look forward to that. Don't lose yourself in the process."

"I won't. I only have one goal after all."

* * *

Catherine had gotten a good amount of information about the Death Knight from the Professor and his students in preparation for their eventual encounter. However, what she had learned was nothing compared to fighting the thing herself.

The Death Knight was strong. She could see why this thing had been able to push the Professor to his limits.

She grunted as blocked yet another strike from its scythe. It and its strange weapon was strong, a match for her and Thunderbrand.

Thunderbrand glowed in Catherine's hands, her Crest of Charon manifested, and with a blast of energy empowering her strike she was able to push the Death Knight back along with his steed. An arrow flew overheard and struck its shoulder. It didn't seem to do any damage past the plate though.

"My arrows aren't doing much damage." Shamir said she somersaulted away from a Thoron the Knight casted at her. She fired an arrow mid spin and landed neatly on her feet. "I'm going for the horse. Try to find an opening and strike it with Thunderbrand."

The Death Knight tried to use its mount to circle around the area and strike them, but Shamir's aim was true. Just a few arrows to the horse's was enough to slow the mount and give Catherine the time to charge.

It attempted to cast a spell only for an arrow to fly through its raised palm and cause the spell to explode. Catherine took this chance and struck it with all her might.

It blocked the strike with the shaft of its weapon and the two began exchanging blows.

This time she was on the offensive as she kept attacking with swing after swing. There was no technique or subtlety to her swordplay, just pure raw strength as she continuously pushed her advantage on her opponent. It was a reckless style, suited for people much weaker and much less skilled than the Death Knight, but any openings she created would be quickly covered by Shamir who fired each of her arrows with a purpose behind them.

Even if few of them actually pierced off the Knight and its mount's armor just the weight behind each arrow would cause the Death Knight's swings to shift elsewhere. At one point it had to block an arrow aiming for its head which gave Catherine the opening to run in and land a cut along its leg.

The Death Knight hardly seemed to register the wound as it snapped its mount's spurs and forced it to gallop straight for Shamir.

Unfortunately for them, Shamir always came prepared. She took out a bundle of firecrackers from her pouch, threw it at the ground in front of the horse, and covered her face. They would explode and the sound would echo through the halls. It was loud enough to even get Catherine's ears ringing, enough to serve its purpose of frightening the mount.

The horse stopped and reared upwards. While the Knight was distracted Catherine ran in and swung at it once more.

She struck a clear cut across its before it met her weapons with its own and they traded blows once more.

This time she wasn't so fortunate. Though she was able to land a few shallow cuts, the Death Knight had apparently started learning her movements. This time it would to land a few hits on her as they traded blows. A scratch on the thigh, a punch to the chest which would definitely bruise, and the shaft of its scythe striking her shoulder, the injuries would begin to gather up on her body.

As the Knight separated from her once more, Catherine switched her sword hand. The strike to her right shoulder had been particularly bad, she wasn't going to be able to swing that arm around much anymore. Fortunately, she was perfectly fine with using her other arm.

"Almost out of arrows," Shamir said.

That was bad. Catherine was confident but she wasn't stupid. Once Shamir was out, she'd have a hard time holding the Knight by herself.

Before the Knight could charge again however another arrow would fly through the air and bounce off its back. It would turn around to find the Professor and a good majority of the Blue Lions behind it.

"Oh my, how frightening! You two certainly had a hard time," Mercedes commented as she appeared from the side, prepared to heal Catherine's wounds.

"Not me, Lysithea first," Catherine demanded.

Mercedes nodded and made her way to the unconscious student.

"You… Was this meeting… preordained?" The Death Knight with a strange fixation on Mercedes. It hardly seemed to notice it being surrounded by the Professor and the rest of the Blue Lions.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Mercedes asked as she started to treat Lysithea.

"Never mind that," Catherine said. "It's over Death Knight. Surrender now."

"Kill them," was all it said.

A flash of light appeared and a figure with white and red armor would emerge. It wore a metal helmet with a masked attached to hide its face and its very presence seemed to emit power.

"Halt. You're having a bit too much fun," it replied with the voice of a leader.

"You are getting in the way of my game."

"Hmph. You'll have more opportunities to play soon and you're injured enough as it is. Your work here is done."

"I don't think so Death Knight." Claude would suddenly appear from one of the of Warp Pads at the corner of the room. "Sorry we took so long Teach."

"Why did you use the Warp Pads?" The Professor asked.

"We figured this way was faster," Claude replied cheekily as Dimitri and the rest of the Golden Deer appeared behind him. "It was."

"Only after we ran into like three Dead ends," Hilda commented, clearly annoyed by what they had just been through. "Oh, is that Lysithea?"

Marianne and Lindhart were silent as they quickly joined Mercedes in treating the unconscious student.

The Death Knight hardly seemed phased with being completely surrounded though and instead turned toward its new companion. "Understood. I will go…" It then looked at Lysithea where she laid. "Five years." He announced to everyone there. "Train her. Make her strong. I will come to collect my prey before her time is up." The Death Knight then disappeared leaving its companion behind.

The Flame Emperor turned toward the Professor and Lysithea briefly before addressing the rest of them. "We will cross paths again. I am the Flame Emperor… It is I who will reforge the world." It then too disappeared.


	23. Chapter 23

Listen to them, follow their orders, don't fight back, those were the three rules that Lysithea spent her entire life following. For as long as she could remember the stone walls of her cell and the cold table the mages in the beak like masks operated her on were home. Her only companions were the children that shared the cell with her.

According to the mages, some of them were related to her by blood while others were simply the children of the workers in the House. That didn't matter to her. All they had was each other, they were the only family she had. However, as the time passed they would disappear one by one until there were only five of them left.

She had to protect them; she wouldn't lose anymore. It was her turn once more and she wouldn't hesitate as they took her out of the room and led her to the operating table. She was the oldest, the strongest among them. The more they operated on her the less time they had on them. That was the way in which she protected them.

They didn't bother strapping her to the table, they knew how obedient she was, and began with their work. First a sample of her blood, taken through a needle. Then they injected something into her. Red, blood most likely.

The same as it always was and yet for some reason this time something was wrong. There was something different about the blood this time. It hurt her. Her entire body felt like it was burning. She could no longer ignore it she began to thrash and screech out in pain.

The pain, the burning, it didn't just hurt, it infuriated her. For years on end they had experimented on her, until it was all she knew. How dare they do this to her. How dare they take her life away from her!

Lysithea grabbed a scalpel and jumped one of the mages. She stabbed him in his neck, then his mouth, then his eye.

Anger, rage, vengeance. That was what drove her as she swung her weapon down and down again.

Another of the mages grabbed her from behind, in an attempt to pull her of her colleague. She replied by blasting him back with a bolt of dark magic. She then gathered the energy into a fist and used that to blow off his arm. She then went for a leg, then the other arm. It was only after he was left limbless and screaming would she finally silence him with a blow to her head.

Lysithea then returned to the man she had been stabbing and buried her scalpel into his face once more. She stabbed and stabbed. It was only till his face was a bloody mulch that she finally stood up and made her way out of the room.

She huffed and forced herself to stand up. It wasn't enough. They would all pay for what they did to her. Another man entered the room only to die by her scalpel

Two other appeared in the hallway she entered. They too died to her magic.

Everything and everyone that appeared in front of her died. Pain, anger, fear, everything that she had felt she would repay in kind to anything that stood in front of her.

Eventually she arrived at the cell where she had been kept. Where all her siblings were.

With a single hand she blew open the door and walked inside.

"Lysithea!" one of the girls shouted. Some cowered, others looked at her in awe.

Lysithea walked up to one of the boys and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you going to save us?" he asked.

Lysithea drove her scalpel into his stomach. She turned the blade dragged across his belly and disemboweled him where he stood. His blood and organs fell onto floor before his body did.

One of kids screamed in fear. They ran for the door behind her. Only their head would make it outside, rolling to the ground in a smoking heap. Any that ran would be struck by her magic and those who cowered would be cut up by her scalpel.

One girl tried to protect her face, so Lysithea decided to carve it out for her. To preserve the beauty that she valued so much and hang it on a wall.

She was inevitable and she would only stop once the life had left their bodies. Once they stopped breathing and their blood flowed from the corpses.

Lysithea stood in the center of the room as the blood from all their bodies poured and gathered up in front of her. She looked down at the reflection in puddle and saw her true face.

A skull as pale and white as death with a pair of piercing red eyes coming from its sockets.

For she was Death itself and death would come to them all.

* * *

Lysithea's eyes shot open and she sat up in a fright. Sweat covered every inch of her body as she grabbed her chest and tried to calm her frantically beating heart.

It was a dream. Just a dream. She hadn't killed them; they had been killed by those mages because of their experiments. The same mages that had captured her. It wasn't her fault. It couldn't be her fault. She was just another victim, the one person that couldn't be blamed, who was now going through that torture once more.

Except… rather than laying on the cold stone floor, she was now in a clean and soft bed.

Lysithea finally took stock of her surroundings and realized that she wasn't in her cell anymore. She was on a bed in the school's infirmary surrounded by curtains. The room was bright and there was sunlight coming from a nearby window.

"What happened?" she asked herself as she looked down and saw that underneath the gown she wore. She had been treated, her wounds had been healed and her body had been covered in bandages.

"I see that you're awake." The curtains were pulled aside to reveal Manuela behind them. "I was getting worried that you wouldn't wake up."

Lysithea took a minute to process Manuela's presence, a welcome sight in all honesty, before finally speaking. "How did I get here? When did I get here?"

"Catherine and Shamir were the ones to find you a week ago. Though they certainly had a lot of help from your Professor and Blue Lions."

"They saved me?"

"They did. You and another student that disappeared around a year ago. Why do you sound so uncertain about that?"

"I just… I thought I was going to die down there." Or spend the rest of her life as their captive and the Death Knight's plaything. Not that she had much life to spend now anyway.

Five years. That was the actual time she had remaining. By all rights she'd only be spending a single year or two as an adult if she was lucky. In all likelihood she would die a child… a helpless and useless child with so many goals that she failed to accomplish.

"They would never have let that happen. Neither Catherine nor your Professor."

"I should go thank them then." While she still could that was. She tried to get out of her bed only for Manuela to reach over and push her back into place.

"I had it pretty bad. It still hurts where that damn Death Knight stabbed me and I only was able to start working again recently. You on the other hand had it much worse." Manuela pointed at the bandages all over her body. "You don't have to tell me what they did to you but it's clear that it was terrible."

"… It was"

"Which is why you need to stay in bed and recover. Don't worry your Professor and Catherine have been visiting you every day for the last week."

"They were visiting me?" Would they still value her the same when they realized that she would hardly live long enough to be of use to them now?

"Yea."

"I need to get out of here." They didn't need to know. She could still repay them for what they did. She just had to work hard even harder from now on. Twice as hard, no three times as hard. She couldn't afford to stop even as her body wasted away.

"If you force your body now, you'll end up bedridden for another week."

"I don't have much time left! I can't waste any of it!" She only had five years left. Not ten. Her life had been effectively in half. There was still too much that she still needed to be done.

Manuela raised an eye. "Five years?"

Lysithea choked on her own breath. How many people knew at this point? "How do you know?"

"The Death Knight made quite an announcement about it, of course Hanneman was the one to confirm it to me once I confronted him about it."

"Who else knows?"

"I was able to convince the Blue Lions that the Death Knight meant that he was coming after you in five years not that you were dying. The Golden Deer on the other hand… they didn't seem very convinced when I told them that."

"Well… most of them know at this point. I'm dying and I have even less time than I thought I did."

"That can't be easy… though I'm still mad at Hanneman for keeping this a secret from me. How dare he hide something so important about one of my precious students?"

"Please don't be mad at him. I begged him to keep it a secret."

Manuela huffed. "He could've at least told me to keep an eye on you. There were plenty of ways I could've helped."

"I don't think you can help me…. Nobody can."

"I don't know much about Crests but I do know how to keep someone healthy." Manuela put a finger to her chest. "A proper diet, a good attitude, and regular checkups from a doctor might be able to extend your life by a few more years."

"The mages that experimented were quite certain I only had five years. I have to assume that that's all the time I'll have left. Which is why I have to be in a hurry to get things done."

"They lied to you before and they certainly don't have the expertise I have when it comes to taking care of my patients. So, who would you believe? Me or them?"

"They experimented on me for years. They probably know my body more than I do at this point, I have to-"

Manuela suddenly leaned over, grabbed Lysithea by her shoulders, and gave her a look that chilled her to her very core. "Who do you trust more? Me or them"

"… You?"

"Exactly." Manuela stood up straight with a satisfied smile on her face. "Don't let what they say bother you. I can assure you that I'll make sure that you live a long life just to spite them. The Death Knight though… I want to drive a sword through his stomach for what he did to me."

"… Get in line."

"See? You're feeling better already. I'd say you're ready for visitors, you got quite a lot of them waiting for you."

"Who wants to see me?"

"Your Professer, Flayn, Seteth, your classmates, and a few of the Blue Lions once they know you're awake."

"Could we do them one at a time?" That was a lot of people that wanted to see her. She was certainly grateful that they all cared but she wasn't sure if she could handle all of them at once.

"Of course, don't want to crowd you while you're still recovering. I'll let Seteth know first since his office is nearby and I can have Jeralt send the message to the Professor."

"That sounds good."

Manuela left the room leaving Lysithea to herself.

She looked at her reflection in a nearby mirror. Her face was hers and her white hair had been showing through her roots once more. What she had seen before while she was asleep, that was all a nightmare. A very disturbing nightmare granted, but none of it had actually happened. It was just the result of the trauma she had went through, nothing else.

"Is there something you wish to see?"

Lysithea turned to Seteth who now stood at the doorway. "Just making sure I remember who I am."

He entered the room and sat down on a chair next to her bed. "I understand… we can often lose sight of who we are as people."

"You got here pretty quick."

"I wished to see you… and to give you my gratitude. You saved Flayn. She means the world to me and I could never repay you for that."

"I was just doing the job you gave to me."

"You've done than I could've ever asked for. Too much in fact… which is why I also wish to apologize to you. For everything that you had to go through while you were captured by those men. My ineptitude is to blame, and I can't imagine what you had gone through as their captive."

"It wasn't your fault. I don't think any of us could've been prepared for that."

"It should've been my responsibility to bear though… not yours… I know it must make you uncomfortable but is there anything that you remember about the people that captured you? What they looked like or anything they might've said."

"I don't remember much of what they did to me… just that it caused me a lot of pain." There was haze in her mind whenever she tried to recollect what had happened to her during her capture. They had said something to her, something important, but she couldn't remember what it was.

"I apologize. You should never have gone through that and I shouldn't force you to recollect such events."

"It's fine… what I do know though is that they're same people that experimented on me as a child," she gripped her blanket tightly. "The same ones that killed all of my siblings and the ones who left me with this death sentence."

"I see."

"You don't seem very surprised."

"I had my suspicions that at one point they would go after Flayn. Unfortunately, my precaution wasn't enough."

"Why were they after Flayn?"

"Flayn possesses a rare bloodline, one that they and many others would seek to acquire themselves should they know of it…"

"I figured. They sounded disappointed when all they got was me. I was another one of their failed experiments that they tossed away."

"I can assure that I and many others here care for you and see the value in you."

"Oh no, I actually preferred it when they thought I was a failure. It made it a lot easier for me to stay out of their eyes... until now at least. Having the Death Knight stalking me and the Professor isn't something I look forward to."

"I've heard he has a frightening fascination with the two of you. I'll try to do what I can in the Monastery but the two of you along with the rest of the students should exercise caution from now on."

"What about you? You and Flayn are siblings after all, do you also have a special blood to be worried about?"

"My blood is special though it is quite different from hers."

"How so?"

Seteth hesitated for a moment. "Considering all you've done for us, perhaps you should know the truth of our situation."

"And that is?"

"Flayn is-" before he could finish though a bundle of green hair rushed into the room much to their surprise. "Flayn! This is-"

"Lysithea!" The girl looked close to crying as she made her way to her bed. "I heard you had been rescued but I thought you'd never awake."

"Why would you think that?" Lysithea asked.

"Because I saw what they did to your body… the terrible things they must've done to you. I was worried it might take you decades to heal."

"Flayn…" was all Seteth could muster.

"I can assure you that I will not need that much time to recover, not that I would even have it in the first place."

"But still… it must've been painful, and it was because of me that you went through all of that!"

"It wasn't your fault."

"But they were after me and I was the one to bring you and Felix to such a remote location!"

"It still wasn't your fault. We had no idea that that would happen. If you're going to blame someone then blame the people that went after us not yourself. I can assure you that they will pay for everything they've done."

Flayn paused upon hearing the rancor in Lysithea's voice. "Are you truly going to hunt them down?"

"I will. I won't rest until they're all dead."

"But surely there is more to your life than vengeance?"

"I can't just ignore them after everything they've done. Once House Ordelia is dissolved, I'll use whatever time I have left to hunt them down." Lysithea would hunt them down. That was all she would be good for once House Ordelia was dissolved. The thing… the monster that they created would be what finally destroyed them

"I beg you to reconsider," Seteth said. "After everything that has happened, I'm sure that your parents would want to see their daughter live in peace and comfort rather than devote it to vengeance."

"I can't live in peace while they're still alive. They're still out there kidnapping people and performing their experiments on them. I simply can't sit aside while others suffer the same way that I and my siblings did. I can't live a life in fear that they'll come for me again."

"You're shaken after what happened, I understand that, but I can assure that we are devoting as many resources as possible to hunt them all down."

"How long will that take though? How many more people have to suffer before something changes? You two and the rest of Monastery likely have full lives to look forward to. I don't and I need to work with the time I have left."

"Then at least spend that time with those you love. I can assure you that spending the rest of your life with the love and comfort of your family is not time that is wasted."

"And how many more families will end up like mine by the time they're done?"

"I can't say… and no parent should have to bury their child, but I can assure you that yours will still want to spend whatever time you have left with you. They would wish for you to be happy rather than spending the rest of your life seeking vengeance."

Lysithea stayed silent. Seteth was right. Her parents never expressed the same desire to avenge her siblings like she had. They only ever wanted to spend time with her.

"Brother is right," Flayn replied in desperation. "Vengeance will not bring you happiness. Please do not devote your life to blood and battle. There are other things that you can do to help others and be happy yourself."

"For the time being you are still a student." Seteth continued. "Take this time to reconsider and think about what you wish to do. Once you've graduated… then I'll accept whatever decision you make."

"… I will," Lysithea eventually replied. She would think about it, with the time that she had left.


	24. Chapter 24

Lysithea sighed as she tried to lay herself comfortably in her bed as the Church bells outside rang, signifying noon. It had been a few hours since Seteth had left and yet he had left her with plenty to think about during that time.

For years she had been planning on graduating the academy, dissolving House Ordelia, and then moving to a quiet village to live the rest of her life with her parents in peace. She couldn't do that anymore though, not with the fresh reminder that those mages were still out there and that they could come for her at any time. She wouldn't be able to live in peace until they were all dead and at her current pace she had to accept the fact that she would never live to see it.

She had precious little time left and perhaps she was being selfish considering devoting it to vengeance. But was it being selfish to make sure that those mages would never do this to anyone else again? It would hurt her parents to have to watch her spend the remainder of her life on the pursuit of hunting them down, but how many other people would suffer if she just left them alone.

Running off and doing her own thing was an option. But then again what could she do by herself? The entire church had been hunting these people for centuries according to Seteth and even then, they failed to find them. They barely had any clue of where they were coming from despite recent events. Perhaps she would be best off working with the Church considering they shared a goal. That way Seteth would be satisfied, her parents would be able spend time with her as she worked, and she might be able to contribute in some way

It was these thoughts that were plaguing Lysithea up until she heard a stampede of footsteps rapidly closing in on her location.

Lunch time of course. And that meant the Golden Deer were coming.

They came in as a veritable storm, crowding around her and speaking over each other as they their way into the room. Somehow, they were all able cram themselves into the infirmary despite Manuela's objections. It was a bit packed… ok very packed but Lysithea didn't mind so much. She was quite glad she was able to actually see them all again.

She was especially happy when Hilda had brought her a piece of cake to feast on.

"Wow Lysithea, you're really getting into that cake," Hilda commented.

Lysithea was eating it shamelessly, she was shoveling down mouthful after mouthful of the creamy delight and her mouth was covered in cream.

"I needed something else to eat," Lysithea replied as she wiped her mouth. She was hardly worried about how she looked in front of them, not after the last Seteth special that Manuela forced on her previously. It was frightening how she had been able to finish the both of them without emptying her stomach or her bowels over the infirmary bed.

"I also have something for you," Lorenz said before offering a small box before her. Lysithea opened it up to find a pile of multicolored gummies underneath.

"Thank you," she replied before popping one into her mouth. Her face immediately scrunched up. It wasn't the worst thing she ate; nothing beat the Seteth special in that regard, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. "What are these?"

"Vitamin packed sweets."

"They're… gross"

"I sent for the finest in wholesome, healthy treats for you. I asked only for the very sweetest."

That was… surprisingly considerate. "Sorry Lorenz… this is pretty nice of you."

"It is," Claude commented to him. "I never thought you had it in you."

"As you have failed to see I am a paragon of nobility and an earnest gentleman. Of course, I would take the time to help a fair maiden in need," Lorenz replied.

Lysithea rolled her eyes. "I'm not a fair maiden, Lorenz… but thank you for being thoughtful."

"You're welcome and I hope you keep eating them. If you want a healthy body, then you need to start with what you eat."

"Lorenz… I don't think that's entirely necessary in my case."

"Nonsense. Your life isn't set in stone. There is nothing to say that you can't extend your lifespan and taking care of your body is the best way to start."

"I have to agree with Lorenz here," Leonie commented. "Good food and lots of exercise. There are plenty of ways to make sure that you live a long life."

"There is nothing much I can do, but I can at least pray to the Goddess for your health," Marianne said.

"You guys…" was all Lysithea could say.

"Think nothing of it Sis," Raphael's voice boomed in the small room of the infirmary, "We're friends after all. We take care of each other."

"You helped teach me to read, so if you ever need any help from me I'll give it to ya," Cyril said.

"Um I'm confused here. Why exactly are we worried about Lysithea's health?" Sylvain asked.

"I'm quite curious myself," Ignatz replied.

Lysithea turned to her friends in shock. "You never told him!?" Sylvain was understandable, but Ignatz?

"Well you wanted us to keep it a secret," Hilda replied.

"Raphael and I were also respecting your privacy," Lorenz replied.

Lysithea turned to Claude who had definitely figured it out at one point.

Her House leader shrugged. "I thought it would be best if they heard it from you."

Lysithea turned to Ignatz and then Sylvain. There really wasn't much point keeping this secret from them now… but that didn't make it any easier for her to say. She took a deep breath, tensed herself, and carefully considered her next words.

"I'm dying." It was a simple way of saying it, but it had its effect and led the way toward her explanation of the things that had been done to her. Of the experiments, of her two Crests, and her shortened lifespan.

Somehow, she was able to finish and they both ended up taking it as well as the rest of the class did when they found out. All she could be glad for was the opportunity to tell them herself rather than for them to find out against her will.

"Lysithea… I never knew," Ignatz replied.

"Neither did I," Sylvain said. "You certainly have more reason to hate Crests than I do though."

"It's not a competition Sylvain… but yes I don't see much benefit in having a Crest. I just don't like this system that's in place."

"I've never really thought about it until now… but yea there are some things wrong with how it works here," Hilda said. "What about you Lindhart? Aren't you obsessed with Crests?"

"I am interested with Crests as a subject. With how they exist, function, and might be used as tools. However as with any tool they can be abused, especially with those with less than good intentions. Which is why I and Hanneman are currently researching a way to remove and bestow Crests safely."

"Like I'm great with the first part, you can use my for your experiments if you'll help me get rid of my Crests," Sylvain said. "But after everything you've seen, why would you think giving them to people is a good idea?"

Lysithea also had a similar question.

"Because they still have their uses." Lindhart replied. "A Crest of Cethelean could be used to heal and save lives. A Crest of Blaiddyd could bestow strength to people that have an occupation involving heavy labor. We have a use for them."

"Won't parents just force their kids to have Crests then? Even if they never wanted it in the first place?" Sylvain argued.

"If Crests were available to everyone then the status and prestige behind them would fade. Nobles would no longer seek them apart from practical purposes. On that regard I would never force a Crest on someone who doesn't wish to have it which is why I'm also researching ways to remove them."

"I don't think nobles would appreciate that though."

"They wouldn't. In world where Crests are available to everyone, nobles would have to earn the positions that they keep in society, they could no longer rely on the prestige a Crest provides alone."

"That… is a very interesting way of thinking…" Lysithea commented between them. Though she hardly liked Crests she wouldn't be entirely against other people having them if they wanted. "Have you ever thought talking about this with Edelgard?"

"I have not. Why?" Lindhart asked.

"I just think she might be interested in it."

"Does she not like Crests too?" Sylvain asked.

"Just a hunch," Lysithea replied.

"What sort of hunch are we talking about here?" Claude asked. Of course, he'd immediately pounce when it came to information about Edelgard.

"Ask her yourself Claude."

"But she only ever seems happy around you or Teach. What do you think?" Claude turned to the Professor who stood in silence among them.

Lysithea had been quite happy to see him again, though he had stayed quiet to let the rest of the have class have their turns talking to her first.

"I think… that you are all thinking much about the future," the Professor replied. "That is good."

"For what? The future of Fodlan?" Claude asked.

"Yourselves. And the paths you might take. I look forward to watching all of you"

"We'll do our best to make you proud Professor," Leonie replied.

"Here here!" Raphael shouted.

The rest of the Golden Deer agreed. They would then spend the rest of their lunch idling in the infirmary and talking with her before the Professor finally chased them off toward their next classes. He stayed behind though as the rest of them left the room.

"Aren't you busy Professor?" Lysithea asked as he returned to his spot. She appreciated his presence, it was comforting and made her feel at peace, but she didn't want to be a burden to him.

"I am, but I'll always spare time for you."

"Because I'm your student?"

"Because I care for you."

Lysithea's heart skipped a beat. Had she heard that right? "Professor? What do you mean?"

"You are one of my students yes, but each of you means something different to me."

Lysithea gulped. "And what I am to you?"

"Someone I can trust and depend on. Someone who will always tell what they're thinking and is willing to voice their opinions if they think I'm wrong."

"Professor…" she never thought that the Professor had thought so highly of her.

"I have always had trouble interacting with people. It is something I'm learning even now, but I never had much trouble with you due to how expressive you are."

"Am I really that obvious?" Lysithea glanced away and tried to hide her red cheeks with her blanket.

"You are and that isn't a bad thing. I feel comfortable around you because you always let me know how you feel."

"I'm glad I could be… of service to you," she couldn't quite find the words to express what she was feeling right now.

"Even now, the way your face lights up, the way you're smiling under your blanket, it comforts me." The corner of the Professor's mouth lifted up ever so subtly.

"Please stop!" Lysithea covered her entire face with the blanket. She couldn't stand to see him.

"I apologize. I find your embarrassment amusing."

"You were doing that on purpose!" She dropped her blanket and stared at him with widened eyes. "You're awful!"

The Professor's mouth continued to hold a position which she realized was probably the equivalent of a large smile for him. "You're honest and I wish for you to continue being so for the days to come."

"Fine… but don't expect me to go easy on you."

"I'd expect nothing less."

* * *

"Lysithea."

Lysithea glanced up from the book that she had been reading.

"Edelgard. I see you've returned from your mission."

It was nighttime and the only light in the room was from the lamp next to her bed. Edelgard produced a large shadow behind her as she took a seat next to the bed. "I… heard about what happened to you from the others. If I was there sooner, if I had been aware of the terrible things that those people had been doing to you."

"It wasn't anything I hadn't gone through before… that you wouldn't have gone through before… I'm sorry."

"For what? You were the one who was tortured by them."

"For failing to kill them. They were right there and there was nothing I could do. They got away and are now doing the same things they did to us to others."

"Lysithea… you do not have to apologize for that. Just surviving and being here now is enough for me. I couldn't stand to lose another dear friend." Edelgard clenched a fist and her voice became firm. "I can assure you though, that one day they will all pay for what they've done to us."

"So you admit it. That they've experimented on you too."

"I do..." Edelgard stared into the distance as if recollecting what had been done to her. "I was the youngest of my siblings."

"And I was the oldest, funny how that works out… What color was your hair?"

"Brown. And I can assume yours was purple."

"It was… How did it happen to your family? Are you not the emperor's daughter?"

"My father could do nothing but watch as my siblings were sacrificed all in order to create a peerless emperor to rule Fodlan. He was but a puppet to the Prime Minister and his gaggle of nobles had the empire under their thumbs, he could do nothing to stop them."

"Just like my parents…"

"And your family were among the many other innocents that died as well due to this terrible process."

"And you are that emperor they sought."

"Indeed. Here I stand the fruit of their endeavors, Edelgard von Hresvelg… for as long as I still live."

In the end, Edelgard was the result of their experiments. Everything that had been done to her and her family was all to create the person in front of her. And yet Lysithea could hardly hold it against her. She too was victim of those mages; her family too had been left desecrated by them.

"So, you were their success everything that they worked for… Everything that they worked for, their one success…"

Why did those words sound so familiar to her? It was something Lysithea had heard before, something to do with those mages when she had been captured.

"Lysithea are you alright?"

"No…" she gripped her head and shut her eyes. "I need to remember something but… I can't." All she got from trying to recollect that time was pain and a black haze over her memories.

"Don't force yourself."

"I have to remember it has something to do with the people that did this to us."

Lysithea felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and found Edelgard hovering closely above her.

"You have been through something truly terrible. If your mind doesn't wish for you to remember it, then perhaps that is for the best," Edelgard told her.

"Bu-"

"Please just rest, for me. If it is truly important to you then you'll remember eventually."

"I guess… you're right. I'm just worried I won't have the time left to remember."

"I understand, but it would be no good to rush and hurt yourself in the process."

Edelgard would understand, wouldn't she? She too had a shortened lifespan due to the experiments done to her. "How many years do you have left?"

"Enough to achieve my goals… but more than the ten years you have," Edelgard admitted.

"Five."

Edelgard's eyes grew wide at the information. "What?"

"Those mages lied to me the first time. Five years is the actual estimate… I only have five years left."

"That can't be, I would've known"

"How would you know?"

Edelgard paused as she realized what she had said. She quickly composed herself and her voice was stoic once more. "From Linhart and Hanneman's research notes. They have substantial information on you."

"Well I won't ask when or how you got your hands on that information, but I can assure you that I only have five years."

"That's… barely any time."

"I know."

They both had shortened lifespans but Edelgard had considerably more time than she had. There was a part of Lysithea, a rather disgusting part admittedly, that was actually jealous of the extra time the Empress had. In the end though, the person in front of her was probably the one person that could actually understand her.

"Lysithea… what do you think about Fodlan?"

"What about it?"

"This cycle where the strong oppress the weak. Where Crests are tools for aristocracy abuse their power."

That was one way to put it. It certainly wasn't a pretty picture, but it was one that Lysithea certainly agreed with. "I hate it… I truly hate it. I hate what Crests have done to me and this world. How people can say it's a gift to have them when they're killing us."

Edelgard leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Lysithea imagine a world without Crests, where nobles will no longer enjoy the status they enjoy because their bloodlines carry Crests. What do you think about that?"

"It would be a dream come true… Edelgard are you planning to create this world?"

"I am… and I am offering you a position at my side to see this world that you and I will create."

There was something familiar about those words, something that Lysithea had to remember. However, Edelgard was right, it wouldn't be good to push herself now. Besides she had other things to consider now.

For one Edelgard had presented another option for her, one that was perhaps even better than assisting the Church. Lysithea enjoyed Edelgard's company and working with her seemed like a natural conclusion, however there were certain qualms that she had with her offer. Mainly how little time the two of them had.

"You must realize that I'll die before it comes to pass, that I'll never see this world you're trying to create. It would take too many resources, too much time that I don't have. I'm not entirely certain that you would have the time either." Lysithea wasn't against what Edelgard was saying but she had to be logical about it. "The nobility are stubborn and this system has been in place for centuries. It will take a lot to convince them to change, if it's not impossible with the time we have left. Our best bet would be to have people carry on our wills after our deaths."

"You're correct in that the conventional methods won't be enough to get them to change," Edelgard admitted. "But what if there was a way to change it now? To create a world that you and I will be able to witness during our lifetimes?"

"Then I might actually do it… provided I actually have the time do so. There's still so much that I have to do personally before I can consider trying to change Fodlan as a whole. What do you have planned?"

"There is much that needs to be done and too many risks I have to take into account before anything is certain."

"Is it a risk telling me about it?"

Edelgard shook her head. "Once everything is certain I will tell you, all I ask is that you stand by my side when the time comes. In exchange I will help you with everything that you wish to achieve as we go on a path to create a new world."

Creating a new world. A future. Even if it wasn't one she'd live to see, it was an appealing prospect to Lysithea. "That is certainly a very interesting offer you've extended to me."

"Then will you join the Black Eagles?"

It wasn't a surprise that Edelgard would want her to join the Black Eagles and it was something that Lysithea had considered at one point. "If you had come to me with this a few months ago I would've jumped at the chance to join your class."

"But now?"

"I have the Professor and the rest of Golden Deer. After all we've been through, I can hardly abandon them now." It was true, she had somehow gotten attached to all of them. She owed it to them and herself to stick with them at least while they were still students. "I have to be with them until we graduate. After that though I'll be free to work with you."

In the end working with Edelgard was perhaps the best option, though she would have to postpone doing so until graduation.

"Graduation… is quite a long ways off," Edelgard commented.

"Really? I'd say half a year is an incredibly short time."

"Not for us though. Not for what we have to do…"

"Maybe, but I'm willing to spend that time as a student. It is time well spent, especially with the people here that can help. Did you know that Lindhart and Hanneman are trying to create a world where everyone has a Crest?"

"They are?"

"They are… though if you think about it a world where everyone has a Crest isn't that different from a world without Crests. Distinctions between nobility and commoners, at least in bloodline, would disappear in either case."

"That is true... perhaps that is another way of going about this."

"Which is why I think you should try to work with them, along with the Professor."

"The Professor? Why would I need him?"

"Don't act coy with me Edelgard. You clearly care about him and value him enough that you've invited him for tea on multiple occasions. You want to walk alongside him… as do I."

"Is that what he wishes though? A world where this system no longer exists? He seems quite involved with Rhea after all."

"From what he told me, all he cares about is the welfare of his students. He doesn't care about politics he just wishes to see us grow and decide our future for ourselves… He's even trying to find a way to remove my Crests."

"He is?"

"He promised me that he would, and he would certainly do the same for you."

"Lysithea… he's a great man but do you really think he could achieve what you, I, and many others have failed to do for so long?"

It was an easy doubt to have, one that Lysithea herself constantly struggled with.

"I do… I have faith in him Edelgard. It wouldn't hurt for you to have that same faith in him too. I know it's probably stupid for either of us rely on this absurd hope, but maybe that's what we need in our lives."

"Perhaps…" Edelgard stood up with a troubled look on her face. "You've given me quite a lot to think about."

"Talk to the Professor, I'm sure that he'll be able to help you."

"I will. Thank you Lysithea."

* * *

It was a strange morning for Lysithea to find Felix sitting in the infirmary with her. It was made even stranger when he remained silent and stayed silent at the corner as Manuela did a quick check up on her and brought her some food. It wasn't until after she had eaten, and the tension had become nearly unbearable that Felix finally decided to speak.

"You're awake."

"I am… I heard that you worked with the Professor to rescue me. Thanks"

He grunted. "Don't thank me. I hardly did anything. Catherine and Shamir were the ones to get you out."

"I still appreciate it and I also you appreciate you getting Flayn to safety like I asked."

Felix's face suddenly turned grim. "What were the hell were you thinking back there?"

"I did what I thought was best. Better just me than all three of us getting captured," Lysithea replied calmly. She had a feeling he would be mad over what happened.

"You became their toy, their experiment. Look what they did to you."

"I'm well aware, which is why I stand by my decision. I refused to let that happen to you or Flayn too."

"I would've been fine."

"But Flayn."

"We could've fought our way out."

"And risk all three of us dying?"

"Better than you willingly sacrificing yourself for a pointless cause. You did it out of a duty to Seteth when you should've been thinking about yourself."

"I didn't do it just because of Seteth, I did it to protect my friends and that isn't a pointless cause," she raised her voice against him. "If you're going to act like a jerk about it then next time I'll leave you behind but I wasn't going to let that happen to Flayn."

She wasn't actually being serious about that… but damn it if Felix wasn't infuriating to deal with at times. How did Sylvain and Ingrid deal with him?

"… Fine I was wrong about you, but you still need to value your life more."

"I can assure you that I won't pointlessly toss it away but when I have to compare it to yours and Flayn's… well I say I made a good trade."

"Why would you say that's a good trade?"

Lysithea stayed silent.

"Because you don't have much time? It was something I heard you commenting about in the past," Felix continued. "Five years? Is it because of the Death Knight or something else?"

"Something else. A person shouldn't have two Crests. Their… my body can't handle it."

"I see. So, what makes you stronger is killing you.

"I'm strong because of the effort I put into my studies and training," Lysithea replied bitterly. "Night upon night I have toiled to get where I am now. I thought you of all people would understand that."

"You misheard me. I said that they made you stronger, not that you weren't strong in the first place. It certainly isn't a strength worth having if it degrades your body like that."

"Hmph I'm glad you see that."

"Why do you gather this strength though. What do you wish to achieve with it?"

"For my parents to live in peace, for my friends to move on after my death, and vengeance against the people that did this to me."

"Can you do all of that in five years?"

"I don't have much of a choice. I have to do what I can with what little time I have left."

Felix stared at her carefully for a few moments, as if too scrutinize her, before speaking once more. "Get stronger with the time you have left. If you ever have need of my blade, I will give it to you." With that he turned around and left the room.

That conversation had only taken just a brief moment and yet it had completely drained her. Uh… and she still had to bake him a cake later. She couldn't leave that promise unfulfilled after all.

* * *

Felix made his way to the dorms, toward the Professor's room.

He owed a debt he intended to repay. The only way to that was to be stronger… stronger than her, the Death Knight, and everything else that stood in his way. Strength was everything, in the end it was all he could rely on.

He didn't care what the Professor said. He would demand a transfer into his class and toss away everything that held him back, even the Blue Lions if need be. If being truly strong meant becoming a demon, then he would become one.

Felix had just arrived at the dorms though when he had heard a voice coming out of the greenhouse. The voice was bright and cheerful and letting loose a song. It was a childish song with silly little verses and plenty of rhymes but something about it tugged at him. The song stopped him at his feet, and he stood to listen.

"Today's dinner is steak and then a cake that's yummy yum… Now it's time to full my tummy tummy tum…"

Felix turned around his previous intentions forgotten. That song was so stupid and silly… but he quite liked it.

"Oh, this mountain of sweets, and treats that I long to eats… Oh, stacks of steaks and cakes and crumbs and yums…"

He made his way toward the Greenhouse. It wouldn't hurt to see if the singer wouldn't sing another song. Just for a moment at least.


	25. Chapter 25

It was the last day that Lysithea would be at the infirmary, according to Manuela at least, when both Catherine and Shamir would enter her room. Though she had expected them it was still a surprise to see them just casually walk in during the afternoon.

"Sorry I couldn't check on you earlier. Shamir and I were busy cleaning up," Catherine said as she casually took a seat next to Lysithea's bed. Her armor was chipped and there was the familiar smell of blood and dirt on her. "Just finished recently."

"I can tell," Lysithea replied. "If anything though, I should be thanking the two of you for saving me. The Professor and Seteth told me you two fought the… Death Knight for my sake." Even now it was a bit hard for her to say its name, if only because it made her remember recent events.

"He was tough," Shamir commented from the other side of the room. Unlike Catherine, Shamir preferred to stay a respectable distance away. "Any longer it would've been dangerous for us."

"Yea the Professor really wasn't kidding about strong the guy was," Catherine admitted. "I'll have to get back to my training. Make sure I'm ready for next time we meet."

"So basically, what you've been doing this entire time?" Shamir asked

"Yea pretty much."

"Hmph. We should all continue our training anyway." Shamir looked at Lysithea. "Especially you now that he's become obsessed with you. What did you do to get him like that?"

Lysithea gulped and crossed her arms before hesitantly replying. "He has a weakness to my magic. Particularly Dark Spikes. I was able to do serious damage to him before I was captured… and unfortunately he's interested in me because of that."

"So, you counter him then," Shamir commented.

"I do."

"He'll be aware of it now though and will likely prepare for it in the future."

"I'd imagine so. Even so I think I'm a good matchup against provided I'm given the chance to cast my magic." In all honesty she would've preferred to avoid fighting him altogether, but fate was rarely that kind. If he wasn't going to go for her then he was definitely going for the Professor and she couldn't just stand aside while that happened.

"Just be careful when you see him alright. Don't want you to get hurt again," Catherine said.

Lysithea knew it was best to listen if Catherine of all people was suggesting caution.

"I will," Lysithea replied before finally asking the question that had been plaguing her mind. "Why did you two work so hard to find me?" Yes it was their job as Knights of Serios to protect the Monastery's interests, including its students, but why had they made such an effort just to save her alone?

Catherine shrugged casually. "I could hardly let someone take you away. You're a great student and you're like a sister to me."

"A sister?"

"Yea. I've always felt a certain kinship with you and it's not just because we share a Crest."

Lysithea looked down at her bed and couldn't help the small grin that appeared on her face. A sister… and here she thought that she no longer had any siblings. She could never replace those that she had lost… but that didn't mean she couldn't find family elsewhere. "Thank you."

"And it isn't just me, Shamir's taking a liking to you also."

Lysithea looked at Shamir who kept an impassive face.

"Yea, sure," Shamir replied.

"That's just the way she shows her love."

Shamir began to sniff at the air. "By the way? Has Seteth been giving you more of his specials? I recognize the smell."

"Twice a day while I've been stuck in bed," Lysithea sighed. "I mean I feel much better now at least, and Manuela says I should be getting out soon."

After two days of observation Manuela had more or less agreed that Lysithea would soon be ready to rejoin her class.

"Still, good job drinking those things down," Shamir said.

Well a Seteth special or two was nothing compared to what she had been through already.

"What are you two planning to do now then?" Lysithea asked them.

"The Knights have been tasked with putting the bishop leading the Western Church down," Catherine informed her.

"The same ones involved with the plot to apparently assassinate Rhea?" And also, the people that were somehow associated with those that performed those experiments on her.

"Yes. Rhea herself is actually coming to execute him herself."

So, the Archbishop was going to leave the monastery to personally deliver her form of justice. The Western Church was certainly in for a beating.

"When are you leaving?" Lysithea asked.

"In a week," Shamir replied.

"I want to come."

"Wouldn't it be best if you stayed behind to recover?"

"I've already rested enough as it is." After spending so many days in bed it would actually be a pleasure to get out and go on a mission, if only to keep her skills sharp. "Besides. I owe you two for saving me… and I need answers about the people that they were working with."

Catherine considered her words. "Well… I was thinking about asking the Professor and his students to come along. If he thinks you're ready by then, then I won't stop you. It's not like you're the only insisting on coming along."

"Who else is coming?" Lysithea asked.

"Ashe."

Oh… well that made sense. After what had happened with Lonato it was clear that Ashe was going there for answers and perhaps vengeance against them for involving his adoptive father in their plot.

"Will he be alright?"

"I'm not sure, but if something goes wrong, I'll be busy protecting Rhea. I'll need someone else to keep an eye on him."

"I'll do it," Lysithea quickly said. "And I'll make sure to let the Professor know."

"Aren't you eager… but the backup would be nice and I can rely on you and the Professor. Just try not to push yourself alright?"

"I'll try to take it easy."

"I'll have Cyril tag along with you," Shamir said.

"Cyril? Are you sure he'll be fine?" Lysithea had never actually seen him fight as he had only joined the class recently.

"Well I wasn't the only one who picked up a student," Catherine commented.

Shamir nodded. "He's strong because of the chores he does in the Monastery and I've been teaching him how to use the bow. He's a decent shot and can swing an axe well, he'll work well with you."

"Sounds good then," Lysithea replied. Cyril was an excellent student, at least when she had been teaching him how to read, and he worked almost as hard as she did. She saw no issue with being paired up with him and was actually forward to it.

"Once you're out of bed, I'll have a session with the two of you," Shamir told her. "Help you two to get a feel of each other."

"I'm sure we'll get work together quite well," Lysithea replied.

* * *

At exactly four in the afternoon Byleth walked up to the door of Seteth's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Byleth entered the office to find Seteth sitting down for once with Flayn next to him. The green haired man gestured to a seat in front of his desk, which Byleth promptly sat on.

It was a familiar place with how often he had to give reports or receive a scolding from the green haired man, so Byleth would notice any changes in the office. This time there had been plenty, enough for him to find it unusual.

**Well this is strange so far.**

_Indeed. He never offers me a seat._

**Or takes one himself for that matter. And is that a layer of dust I see on that bookshelf?**

_He's been busy recently, but yea usually he's on top of that._

**I believe the stress has been getting to him, despite what his regular attitude might say.**

"I have heard reports that you led a group of students down into an unknown passage in the Monastery," Seteth commented

"Is that an issue?"

"No, if anything you performed quite well with a class of students that weren't even your own."

"They're different from the Golden Deer, but excellent nevertheless."

"I agree. We do out upmost to provide the best education for all the students here, something that you have done well to contribute in. Because of your efforts alongside Catherine and Shamir we were able to save not one but two kidnapped students."

It had not been the first time that Byleth had been invited into Seteth's office, although this would likely be the first time it wouldn't end up with him getting reprimanded. The stern expression on Seteth's face had actually faded for that brief moment and on his face instead was an expression of relief and gratitude.

"Lysithea… and Monica I believe her name was?" Byleth asked.

"Indeed. Monica had disappeared a year prior. We had assumed she had left for home, but it was clear we were wrong. I'm glad that you were there that day… for the both of them."

**Is he expressing joy? I would not believe it if I were not seeing it right now.**

"I simply did as was required of me," Byleth replied. "I simply couldn't let one of my own be kidnapped, it was a shame we couldn't capture those mages though."

"You've discovered where they were hiding and chased them out for the time being. That will suffice, though we will have to remain vigilant to ensure that this doesn't happen again."

"Will you have the students continue to patrol?"

"Yes, and I'll see what Knights we have available to aid in security."

That meant that they would all be busy in the coming months. Byleth never really had much time to himself ever since he became a Professor, but it was a small price to pay considering the safety and growth of his students.

**Sometimes I think you're a bit too selfless you know that?**

_You've expressed those thoughts in the past._

**I know. I just hope that one day we'll be able to take a break when this is all over. Just the two of us.**

_Where would you want to go._

**I hear Fodlan's throat is quite beautiful this time of year.**

With that, the meeting seemed to be finished. Byleth was about to get out of the chair when Flayn decided to speak.

"Brother is there not something you wish to say to the Professor?"

Hesitation appeared on Seteth's face. It appears that he did have something else to say, though he was having difficulty doing so.

"You don't have to say it if makes you uncomfortable," Byleth replied.

"No, Professe- actually… Byleth. This is something that needs to be said."

Byleth raised an eye. It was the first time Seteth had called him by his given name or shown actually vulnerability on his face. "What is it?"

"I wish to apologize for my conduct toward you," Seteth said.

"You had every right to be cautious around me. Objectively speaking me becoming a Professor was suspicious." Even Byleth had to admit the entire process was strange. He was strange, Rhea was strange, all the events that led to this was strange. It was reasonable for anyone to be suspicious, much less Seteth.

"That is true, but time and time again you've done nothing but hold up the faith that Rhea has had in you. I believe now that my… concern towards you was misplaced. You are indeed… a trusted ally."

**My my. I must admit hearing this from him is quite satisfying.**

"Though there is much I do not know, I will continue to do my best for my students. I can assure you and Rhea of that," Byleth replied

"I believe you Professor. Your students have grown incredibly well under your guidance. It was because of one them that Flayn was kept safe and for that I am forever grateful to you and them."

"Brother..." Flayn spoke up once more, "Shouldn't I join the Professor's class?"

"Flayn! I'm not certain that is such a good idea."

"You just praised the Professor over the way he guided his students. Would there not be much I can learn under him?" Flayn asked

"But the danger to you! The Monastery is no longer safe," Seteth argued

"And what is the alternative? I do not wish to live in some lonely, remote location where I never get to see anyone. Not ever again."

"If we stay here, you may be targeted again! Wouldn't it be better for the two of us to live in peace?"

"Even if we ran off to some new, secret location, there is no guarantee that they would not find us."

"That is why I believe it would be safest to stay in the monastery. Did not Lysithea, one of the Professor's students, rescue me from being captured? Wouldn't joining his class then be the only reasonable option?"

**This girl is quite sincere. **

"I think it's a great idea," Byleth said.

"I am so very pleased to hear that! Don't you see brother? With the Professor and his students nearby, I shall be safe no matter what foe should appear!" Flayn said.

Seteth paused as he took a brief moment to think. Eventually he sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm afraid you have a good point." He turned toward Byleth. "Professor… might I entrust you with Flayn's safety?"

"It would be my pleasure," Byleth replied

"Oh this will be so wonderful. I can't wait to join you all!" Flayn cheered as she hopped excitedly in her place.

"Flayn, you must remember to follow all of the Professor's instructions," Seteth demanded

"I will!"

"And avoid being around certain… unsavory individuals."

"That won't be an issue. The students of the Golden Deer are all very kind."

Seteth raised an eyebrow. "Even Sylvain?"

"Ah. I've asked around and it turns out we were wrong. He isn't into beasts or objects!"

"I see… I'm glad you've… disproved those rumors…"

"He is into grannies though."

Seteth visibly bristled at that. "What!?"

"Apparently he seduced Ingrid's grandmother in his youth. It made for quite an amusing story just as much as the scarecrow he accidentally seduced as a child."

"Flayn… promise me that you will never be alone with him."

"I already did Brother and he's been perfectly pleasant around me."

"Just… promise me again."

Flayn sighed. "Fine. I will."

"Good and Professor?"

"Yes?" Byleth asked.

"Please send Sylvain to my office tomorrow. It is about time we had a long overdue discussion."


	26. Chapter 26

The next morning Lysithea returned to the classroom. She had finally been let out of the infirmary weeks after getting kidnapped and it was reassuring to be in a familiar place again. There were some changes though, mainly Flayn who had recently joined their class.

"Hey there Lysithea. You're looking good," Claude commented along with the smiles the rest of the Golden Deer gave upon seeing her.

"I'm feeling much better now actually, thank you," Lysithea replied politely before noticing the seat Flayn offered next to her. She promptly sat down next to the new student, who had apparently fit in quite well with the class.

"I'm glad that you could join us!" Flayn said. "It must've been tiring to be stuck in the infirmary all day."

"It wasn't too bad. I was able to get some reading done and catch up on the assignments that the Professor left for me."

Lindhart yawned. "Hard working as ever. I honestly would've taken the opportunity to get some more sleep."

"Not everyone has the time to waste," Lysithea replied quickly. She immediately regretted it when she noticed the concerned looks that her classmates gave her. "I… er not that there's any issue with how you spend your time."

Now she made it worse. Lysithea sighed. Perhaps the blunt approach was best. "I'm going to do my best to live my life and work toward a future with all of you. You don't need to be so cautious around me, I can handle it."

Thankfully enough Sylvain would suddenly walk into the classroom at that moment which got the focus off her, mostly because of the tired expression on his face and bags under his eyes. He usually put a lot of effort in his appearance so to seem him walk into the classroom in such a state was rare moment.

"Wow. You don't look good Sylvain," Hilda commented after he had gotten onto his seat and let his head drop onto his desk.

"I just spent the last two hours being scolded by Seteth and if that wasn't enough, he even forced me to listen to a story."

"Ooh was it about the fox and the squirrel?" Hilda asked.

"No, it was about the promiscuous rabbit. Did he also read you a story?"

"He did. You know he actually makes those himself."

Sylvain's eyes went wide. "He does!? Wow that's… actually really impressive."

"I know right? You have to tell me more of that story with the rabbit."

"I can't remember most of it off the top of my head, but I can try as long as you tell me more about the squirrel and fox."

"Deal!"

"Is something wrong Flayn?" Leonie asked Flayn who had begun pouting for some reason.

"My… brother has never written any stories for me," Flayn complained.

"Man, that isn't right," Raphael leaned over and patted the girl on the back. "A big bro should make their sis happy first!"

"Then we should have him make one then!" Hilda suggested. "With all of us. We can even have Ignatz make the pictures."

"Oh um… I don't think that-"

"Ignatz your artistic sense and abilities are impeccable," Lorenz commented. "I'm quite certain that you are more than capable of creating pictures for a book."

Ignatz put on thoughtful expression on his face before glancing at Flayn. Unfortunately for him he had been doomed the second that he was struck by the puppy eyed look that Flayn gave him. It was something the Lysithea herself had been on the receiving end on in the past. Really, only Seteth seemed to be immune to her charms.

"I will," he eventually agreed.

"Wonderful," Hilda cheered. "Now we just need Seteth to make a good story."

"Do you think we could also get Bernadetta to work with us?" Sylvain asked.

"Bernadetta? Why her?" Lysithea asked.

"She's actually a really good writer," Sylvain explained. "I accidently read something that she left behind and it was a real nail biter. I'm a fan of her work."

"You ever try telling her that?" Hilda asked. "I mean it seems like something she'd like to know."

"I tried but she's always running off or threatening to throw me into a fire. She doesn't believe me for some reason," Sylvain replied.

"That's probably because of all the women you sent crying in the past," Cyril replied bluntly. "She probably thinks she's just another mark for you."

"Yeesh. Pretty harsh aren't you Cyril."

"I have to agree with him," Lysithea said. "You've shown nothing that would give her reason to trust your intentions. If you truly wish for her to believe her then you have to be sincere for once."

"Even then she still might not want to talk to you," Marianne commented meekly. "It can be hard… to open up to others sometime," she finished while glancing at Hilda.

"She's right," Hilda said. "Sometimes you have to take on a whole other approach to get along with people. It was how I started hanging out with Marianne."

"Another approach huh…" Sylvain put a hand to his chin and looked at the rest of class. "I'm a little worried it might make things worse though, she's… delicate."

"She is," Claude commented. "But sometimes, all you can do is keep smiling and doing your best. You might want to ask the Professor for advice though, he seems to know how to act around her."

Sylvain nodded. "I will."

"We can discuss this after class," the Professor's voice suddenly called, out announcing his presence.

The entire class quickly turned around and was shocked by the Professor suddenly standing in front of all of them.

"When did you get here?" Leonie asked.

"When you started talking about Bernadetta," the Professor replied quickly before shaking his head. "It seems that your situational awareness is lacking."

"I don't think that's the issue Teach, you're just… surprisingly good at sneaking around," Clade replied.

"There are many you will meet in the battlefield that will be stealthier than I am. If you aren't aware of them that could get you killed." The Professor began to write on the board. "Today we'll have a lecture on surprise attacks in preparation for the mission we have next week." He then suddenly turned around and threw a piece of chalk at the still napping Lindhart. The chalk hit him dead center on the forehead and ended up knocking him off his chair. "You failed by the way."

"I'm quite aware Professor," Lindhart groaned from the floor.

"What's the mission?" Leonie asked.

Lysithea already knew before the Professor told them.

"In two days we're to escort Rhea so that she may execute the bishop leading the Western Church. They've used fog tactics in the past, so come in expecting that." The Professor threw another piece of chalk at Claude who promptly caught it with a single hand.

"So, the Archbishop herself is coming," Claude replied while casually twirling the chalk in his hand like he often would an arrow.

"Indeed. It'll be our job to protect her along with capturing or killing those associated with the Western Church."

"Preferably the former. I have a few questions I want to ask them."

"You're not the only one with questions to ask Claude," Lysithea commented.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to ask all about the people they worked with."

"How exactly are you going to make them talk?"

Claude shot her his trademark smile. "I have my ways."

Hilda rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do? Annoy them to death?"

"Hah hah," Claude laughed sarcastically.

* * *

"Claude? What is this?" Lysithea asked as she poked at the very large paper bag that her House Leader had suddenly deposited in front of her while she had been busy studying in the library.

Claude promptly reached into a bag and took out a package of some peculiar, yet still appealing, cookies.

"The Almyran sweets I promised you," he said before opening the package and popping one of the cookies in his mouth. He then offered the rest of it to her.

"That's… a big bag." Even she had to be intimated by all sweets in front of her.

"I could take it all back if you don't want them." Claude began to draw the cookies back.

"No!" Lysithea shouted as she quickly grabbed the package out of his hands. "I'll happily accept." She popped a cookie in her mouth and nearly moaned at the flavor. The distinct flavors of cinnamon, walnut, cocoa, and some sort of light spice all combined together in a cacophony upon her tongue. Those Almyrans certainly knew how to make their sweets.

"Where did you even get all of those?" she asked. It was hard to find any merchants from Almyra, much less those that actually carried such a large amount of perishable sweets.

"You don't become the leader of the Alliance without making a few connections," Claude replied cheekily with a smile on his face. "You like them?"

"I love them. These cookies are divine."

"Those are called Koloocheh and they're often served with tea. Why don't you put them down for a second? There's a lot of other things you need to try."

Lysithea reluctantly set the cookies aside. Those were some of the best cookies she ever had, how could the other things in that bag compare? She was answered by some strangely shaped fried dough that Claude placed in front of her.

"These are Zoolbia," he informed her. "They deep-fry flour batter in shapes like these before soaking them in a saffron syrup."

Lysithea promptly popped one of them in her mouth. It was a bit oily but the satisfying crunch in her mouth followed by the sweetness of the sugar and the floral notes of the saffron more than made up for it.

"And these," Claude took out another package of what looked like to be finger sized fried dough, "are Bamiyeh. They're made like the Zoolbia by being fried and soaked in syrup but they're made of a thicker dough for a more crumbly texture."

"You certainly know a lot about Almyran sweets," Lysithea commented as she popped another sweet in her mouth. At this point she didn't care about the faces she made in front of him. It was all just so good.

"Gotta know a lot about them considering how close they are to us."

"That makes sense. Know your enemy, especially those that are constantly trying to invade us." Lysithea took one of each of the three sweets and stuffed them in her mouth. It was a bit messy but the resulting rush of sugar was enough to cause her to shudder. "Why are they so busy trying to fight us anyway? They could've just taken over Fodlan by bringing these sweets over and selling them instead."

"I don't think there's anyone quite as fond of sweets as you are… though trying to establish some more trade with Almyra is an interesting idea."

"I'll have you know Claude that people love their sweets and the best way to a person's heart is through their stomach. People would think a lot better of Almryan's instead of thinking they're just savage invaders if they knew about some of these treats they made down there."

"I'm making my way into your heart?" Claude replied suggestively.

Lysithea crossed her arms, looked away, and tried to hide the light blush that appeared on her face due to the error she made with her words. She had seen him flirt with plenty of people in the past, men and women included, but this would be the first time it was directed onto her. He was worse than Sylvain in some ways. "Not at all… though I do appreciate all these sweets you've given me." They were certainly much better than the nutrition packed gummies that Lorenz had given to her.

"Aw Lysithea," he put a hand to his chest in mock discomfort, "you hurt me."

"I'd be surprised if you could actually be hurt with that face of yours."

"Once wrong with this handsome face?"

"You always seem to be hiding something underneath it."

"Nothing gets by you does it?"

"No… though it can be difficult to figure out what you're thinking about. You always seem to have your guard up about something."

"Aren't you the kettle calling the pot black?"

Lysithea raised her hands. "I admit I do also have a tendency to keep secrets, but at least I don't pry or force others to keep their guard up around me. Also, I have opened up somewhat unlike you." Not like she had much of a choice considering recent events. "You don't ever let anything out, even Edelgard's been more forthcoming to me at this point."

"Edelgard huh… she seems to put a lot of trust in you and Teach."

"More than you do."

"True… but it's not like you told me anything either."

"That's because you already figured it out yourself."

"It would still be nice to hear it from you personally rather than me having to figure it out from someone else."

"I didn't want you to know in the first place… or the rest of the class for that matter." Lysithea sighed.

"What about this? If I tell you something about myself then you tell me personally. I want to hear it from your own mouth."

"Depends on what you're going to tell me."

"My mother ran away from the Alliance to elope. That's why I wasn't legitimized as heir until recently."

That… was a surprise. She knew little about his personal life, as did most other people. It had certainly been unexpected when he had suddenly shown up a year ago and was announced to be heir.

"That would explain no one even knew about you until recently," Lysithea replied.

"Yep. Took some time to get back here and have my grandfather accept me as heir. He doesn't really get along with my father."

"I can imagine considering he took his own daughter away from him… where exactly did she run off to elope?"

"That I'll let you guess. So, is that enough to get you to talk?"

"A bit… what do you want to know?"

"How exactly did you survive what those mages did to you? It takes a lot of strength to get through what you went through."

It was a question that Lysithea had often asked herself in the past. "My parents, they're all that I have left… and vengeance. Wanting to kill every single one of them especially with what they just did to me is plenty enough motivation to survive and work as hard as I do."

Unlike Seteth, Claude seemed perfectly fine upon hearing her desire for vengeance. In fact the look on his face seemed to encourage it.

"That's a good enough goal as any, but five years isn't a lot of time," Claude commented.

"It isn't and that's why I have to work even harder from now on."

"What if I were to find a way to give you more time? Would you finally let yourself relax and take a break?"

"I find it hard to believe that you could ever find a cure for my condition. My grades in magic, and basically every other subject, are far higher than yours and I still haven't found a solution."

"You underestimate me dear Lysithea. Besides how else are you going to grow big and strong if you don't get your sleep?"

Lysithea sat up straight in her chair. "Are you fretting over me like a child again?"

"Not a child, I promise. This is my treating you like… like a princess! Now, come along, princess. Enjoy your sweets and your youth! Let me deal with those that threaten you!"

"Whatever it is you think you're treating me like, it's unendingly annoying."

"Should I treat you as a noble hero then? Draw your sword, Lysithea. If you wish to continue on your path for vengeance, then you must defeat me in battle first."

"…"

"Come now! Face me like the legend that you are!"

Lysithea promptly looked away and grabbed another cookie to eat. "In light of you providing me with these sweets, I will not use my magic on you today. Now leave me be so that I might eat in peace."

"You sure you want to be left alone in a haunted library?"

Lysithea promptly threw the book she was reading at his face.


	27. Chapter 27

"Your class is weird," Cyril commented to Lysithea as they made their way towards where Shamir would be waiting for them.

"You're only realizing that now?" Lysithea asked.

It would only be a day before the two of them were paired up for the mission to help the Archbishop execute the leader of the Western Church. Because of that both Shamir and Catherine thought it would be a good idea to pair the two of them up for training before the mission.

"I knew you guys were weird… but it's definitely a lot different actually sitting in that classroom with them. Especially Claude… I can never get a read on that guy."

"No one can. Honestly its best if you never let your guard down around him. You never know what he's scheming."

"… You know I'm kind of worried about this mission."

"Because of the Archbishop?"

"Exactly. Lady Rhea shouldn't be in the middle of a battlefield like this. It's too dangerous."

"Then we'll all have to do our part to protect her," Lysithea replied carefully. "You, me, Catherine, and the rest of the class."

Cyril had an obsession with Rhea that tended to border on the insane. It was unhealthy, even Seteth himself had admitted to that at one point, but it was also understandable considering the Church was likely all he ever knew. Still when broaching the topic of Rhea, it was best to speak cautiously. Else she would likely incur his wrath.

"Yea you're right… we'll have to do our best so that she doesn't have to fight."

They finally made it to Shamir who had already set up a medley of training dummies for their arrival.

"First question have you two ever fought together before?" Shamir asked as soon as she saw them.

"Nope. This would be our first time on our mission," Cyril replied.

"Take turns on these dummies then. Show each other what you're capable of,"

"You can go first," Cyril told Lysithea.

"Gladly." Lysithea took a step forward, and with a single outstretched hand, blasted the dummy to bits with a simple Miasma spell. She then cupped her hands together, channeled her magic into them, and released Dark Spikes on the next set.

"I have a variety of destructive spells along with supportive magic like heal or warp," Lysithea further explained as she walked close to another dummy. She took out her sword, pumped her magic into it, and used Soulbade break off a chunk of the dummy with a single swing. "I also have some sword training."

Cyril looked impressed. "I didn't think you could swing so hard. You used you have a lot of trouble carrying around an axe."

"Well I've gotten stronger… though most of the damage comes from a technique called Soulblade. It uses my magic to greatly strengthen a strike but," Lysithea lifted up her sword and showed the crack on the iron, "it quickly breaks apart my weapon when I use it. I'll have to carry multiple swords and pick up whatever blades I can from the enemy if I'm going to be using this technique consistently."

"So, you're a pretty much a mage that can fight up close and from afar."

"In essence, yes."

"She's still vulnerable to attack though," Shamir began explaining. "She'll also have issues with anything with significant resistances or mobility such as Pegasus Knights which is what I expect you to deal with."

"Understood," Cyril promptly responded before taking a bow and aiming at a nearby target. Though he wasn't nearly as flashy as Claude his aim was true and he ended up landing a bullseye from where they were standing.

"Good shot," Lysithea commented.

"Its fine," Shamir commented. "It's just a direct shot."

"What's the issue with that?" Lysithea asked.

"If you can hit your enemy with a straight shot, you're too close."

"I do straight shots all the time with magic," Lysithea argued.

"That's because you're a mage. You have to do that out of necessity. Many of your spells don't have the same range and curve like an arrow can. This is what sets archer's apart, and because of that they need to position differently than mages."

Cyril nodded. "Archers need to know how far the enemy is and keep a minimum safe distance. It's best to be in a range where I have to curve my shots to hit them."

"You remembered what I told you," Shamir said to him. "That's good."

"Well you did say I have the right attitude."

"That I did." Shamir turned back toward Lysithea. "Mages can hit hard but they struggle with controlling the battlefield due to their fragility and low mobility."

"So, you want Cyril to cover my weaknesses with his speed and range," Lysithea realized.

"Exactly. If you work together properly you two should be able to dispatch of most enemies before they have a chance of threatening you. He's also strong and good with an axe so he'll be able to back you up if you're forced into close quarters."

"A lot like Claude then. He also uses a bow and an axe."

"You should observe him sometime," Shamir told Cyril. "He uses a different style from me, so you might learn a few things from him that I couldn't teach you."

"How so?" Cyril asked.

"I'm a sniper. I find a secluded location on the battlefield and pick my enemies off one by one before they realize I'm there. Claude on the other hand is more like a hunter. He likes to lure the enemy toward him and set up traps. We have fundamentally different styles and one might suit you more than the other."

That was a good observation and it was mostly true now that Lysithea thought about it. Claude was a schemer, he liked to lure his enemy into a bad position and make it so that he was the one with the advantage. Though there were times though where Claude would actually sacrifice a good position in order to cover the Professor's blind spots as he carved through the enemy with his sword. It was the reason why they made such a fearsome duo.

"I think I'll stick with you for the time being. There's still a lot for me to learn from you," Cyril replied.

"That's fine for now. For this mission though you'll have to focus on protecting Lysithea from the enemies that'll threaten her the most. In return she'll back you up by providing the firepower to take out the enemies that you can't."

"What do you think about this mission?" Lysithea decided to ask.

"It's a job like any other," Shamir replied.

"Lady Rhea is coming though," Cyril argued.

"Then it's an escort mission. If you get nervous because she's the Archbishop then you risk failing because of that."

"That's actually a good mindset to have," Lysithea admitted. "The stakes might be higher, but it doesn't change how we should be fighting."

"Exactly. You'd still protect the person you're supposed to escort even if they weren't the Archbishop."

"I just don't want to see her get hurt," Cyril replied.

"Hmph." A strange look on Shamir's face. "You haven't seen her in battle then. Trust me she'll be perfectly fine by herself."

"Really?"

"She isn't just a bishop, she's nasty with a sword and I've seen her throw grown men around like they were sacks of flour."

It was really hard to imagine Rhea of all people tossing people around with her bare hands, but it had to be true if it came from Shamir. Cyril didn't seem all that convinced though.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same person here?" he asked.

"You'll see soon enough. Also," Shamir reached to her side and pulled out a metallic thermos. She opened it up to reveal a familiar looking green substance from within. "Seteth wanted me to give this to you," she said as she handed it toward Cyril.

Before he could grab it though, Lysithea had already stopped his outstretched arm with her arm.

"You don't want to drink that," Lysithea warned him.

"Why? What is it?" Cyril asked.

"The Seteth Special."

"The Seteth what now?"

"An unholy amalgamation of kale, spinach, celery, beet greens, lima beans, Dagdar watercress, and Brigid brown beans all roasted and blended together into the vilest concoction that you'll ever see," Lysithea explained.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Cyril replied before reaching over, grabbing the thermos, and gulping its contents down.

Lysithea gasped as she was helpless to stop him. She stood closely and prepared a Heal for his inevitable collapse.

It never happened though. In fact he remained standing even as he emptied half of the container. Even Shamir's eyes went wide once he finished the entirety of it and set the thermos aside with a sigh.

"Eh not bad," Cyril replied casually.

"How? Why- It's not-" Lysithea was simply at a loss for words.

"How did you do that?" Shamir asked.

"It tasted like something I had to drink a lot back in Almyra," Cyril explained. "A lot like it actually. Maybe Seteth got the recipe from there."

"Is it only people from Fodlan that can't drink it then?" Lysithea pondered to herself. It was surprising to find that there was an entire race of people that could actually drink these things casually.

"No, I'm from Dadgar and I fainted the first time I drank it," Shamir argued, though she did seem interested by her line of thinking.

"Dagdar is very different from Almyra though…" Lysithea replied. "If we had another Almyran then we could do this experiment."

"What about someone from Brigid?" Shamir suggested. "We could get Petra to try this."

Though they were completely separate countries with their own culture, they at least shared more similarities with each other than they did with Fodlan. Petra would hardly be the worst subject to test her hypothesis on.

"Yea let's do that later," Lysithea eventually agreed.

"Um…" Cyril raised his hand, "Shouldn't we get back to training?"

* * *

"Would you like to have tea with me?"

Lysithea suppressed a sigh. Another day, another invitation for tea from another student whose face she couldn't recognize that would then likely lead to a proposal or something. Though the invitations weren't as frequent as they were before they were still very annoying, mostly because she knew they were just trying to take advantage of her two Crests.

Instead of deigning her would be suitor with an answer, she simply walked away in silence. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to discourage him and he only continued to follow her.

"It would only take a few minutes."

Time that she didn't have to spare. "I refuse," she finally turned around. "I hope would that you were smart enough to learn from the countless other people that tried."

"Are you certain? I heard that House Ordelia is falling into ruin. Perhaps we could discuss ways in which my House could aid yours?"

Lysithea began to finger the hilt of her sword as she continued walking. What was the penalty for assaulting another student again?

"Unless you actually hate your house then we can discuss ways for you alone to join us. It would be a shame if a prodigy like you was wasted their time in a dying House led by incompetent leaders."

"What did you just say about my parents?"

Lysithea had begun to pull her blade out when she was suddenly grabbed behind and lifted into the air. She attempted to stab at whoever grabbed her, but her sword arm had already been pinned to the side.

"Woah their Sis. The Professor needs us."

"Raphael?" Lysithea stopped casting the Miasma she was going to use on him, damage to herself be damned. "What happened? Why does the Professor need us? Is something wrong?"

"I'll tell you later. Sorry about interrupting this chat," Raphael replied as he carried her away from the dumbfounded noble.

"I'm serious Raphael tell me what happened," Lysithea demanded once they had walked a fair distance away.

"Actually, that was a lie."

"What!?"

"I didn't want you to stab him. You looked pretty mad back there."

"I…" well he wasn't wrong. She had actually been prepared to stab him. Just in the leg or something, not anywhere fatal. "Alright thank you for that, you can put me down now."

"First I want to apologize for confronting you about your secret back then."

Lysithea paused as he continued to carry her through the halls. "That was a long time ago," or at least it felt like it to her.

"I know, but I still feel bad about it. We shouldn't have asked so many questions."

Raphael for all his quirks was straightforward and simple. What had happened between them the other had clearly been bothering him so he took action in order to address it. Perhaps she could learn a bit from him.

"No, I should thank you for getting me help. I understand that you and Lorenz were just worried." Lysithea waited for Rapheal to finally set her down, only for him to continue carrying her through the hallways. "Uh… could you please put me down?" she asked again.

"I do have something that I want to show you."

"Then put me down so I can walk with you!"

"My room is pretty far though. I don't want you to get hurt."

She was dying, not crippled. "I can assure you that my body can handle the short walk to your room."

"Bu-"

"Put me down or I swear I'll go grab Claude's laxative and put them in your food."

Raphael promptly set her down and they made the rest of his trip to his room.

"Now what exactly did you need to show me?" she asked as he dug through a shelf of his surprisingly neat room.

Raphael apparently found what he was looking for and held it displayed it to her on his hands. "Here."

"Is that a bracelet?" It was pretty, almost delicate looking, with a variety of crystal baubles alongside flowers preserved in some sort of resin. It looked like the sort of thing that Hilda would show off in class.

"Hilda helped me make it."

"You actually got Hilda to work?" Lysithea thought the only person capable of doing that was Marianne.

"Well I was making charms for my sister and Hilda decided to help because apparently bones and teeth wouldn't make a good charm for her. Anyway, I figured I might as well make one for you too"

"I'm… quite grateful that you took the time to make this for me…"

"The flowers here," he pointed to one of them, "are chrysanthemums they stand for-"

"Long life…" Lysithea nearly choked on her breath.

"Do you like it?" Raphael looked worried by her reaction. "I tried to get you something that suits you, but if they bother you."

"No Raphael I love it." She carefully took the charm out of his hands and cradled it gently in hers. "It's a wonderful gift."

"I'm a little worried it might not fit."

Lysithea slid it onto her left wrist. "It fits perfectly. Thank you."

Raphael blushed and began to scratch at his head. "I don't much about Crests and why they're hurting you, but the Professor and Linhart are smart. I'm sure they'll find a way to help, all we have to do is… have hope and I'll try to help too."

Hope… it wasn't something that she considered until recently, but now…

"Thank you for being there for me," Lysithea replied. "Even when I didn't want it."

"It was no problem ya know… just let me know if you never need help with something. I might not be the brightest person but I can get a job done and keep a secret at least."

Lysithea smiled.

"I will. Thank you."


	28. Chapter 28

For Hubert standing by Lady Edelgard's side was all that truly mattered to him. It wasn't overstating to say that she was his everything, his entire life was devoted to serving the Empress and her alone. Even should he have to paint the path ahead of her with the blood of her enemies, he would gladly do it until his every being was stained red.

This blood-soaked path of madness that they would tread was one that had belonged to just the two of them for so long. Now however his liege had deemed it fit to test others, to see if they would be worthy to follow their path.

Hubert wasn't delusional, despite his devotion there was only so much that he could do for her alone. An ally or two that they could trust could go a long way to lifting her burden and carve a way forward, but very few were worthy of that role by her side. And even fewer among them could be trusted.

That was why he had once threatened the Professor with death should he ever betray his liege and that was why he now sat in his study with the heir to House Ordelia in front of him.

Edelgard liked her, that was the simple truth, and she had also demanded that he begin to spend time with Lysithea. It was an order he couldn't refuse and it was also a chance for him to test and judge her properly.

What he didn't expect though was for Lysithea to be surprisingly tolerable to be around. Though she was quite well known for her rather abrasive and short-tempered nature, he had been able to avoid most of that by avoiding speaking of certain sensitive subjects. The only thing he had to deal with was her inquisitive nature.

She asked a lot of questions and inquired his opinions on dark magic quite often as they studied. He was able to easily answer her inquiries though and soon found that there was much that they could agree on. With magic at least.

"A ban is rather pointless… I've also noticed you have a lot of material that wouldn't be allowed in the Monastery," Lysithea replied after he had expressed his opinions over the church's ban over certain Dark magic.

"I don't think either of us care about that. Do we?" Hubert replied.

"Nope. We'll just have to make sure Seteth doesn't know about this. It'd be a shame to see all these books thrown into a bonfire."

"I can assure you that they are perfectly replaceable. I have sources that can gather me the materials I need."

"Do these sources have to do with the people that had experimented on me and Edelgard?" Lysithea asked. As she picked up another grimoire to read.

"No," Hubert lied. "But I did learn quite a bit from what little they left behind." That part was true

"I also learned a lot by watching those mages as they worked. I assume it's the same for you."

"Know the capabilities of your enemy and utilize what you can. There is also a perverse sense of pleasure that one can have of the fear on their faces once you use their own power against them," Hubert replied.

"I agree. There is something enjoyable about seeing the horror on their faces when they realize that they are about to be destroyed by the thing they created."

"Are you aware of the mental and physical corruption darkness has on the human body?" Hubert asked the white-haired mage.

"If I didn't when I started practicing then I wouldn't be standing here before you today," Lysithea replied bluntly. "Why do you ask."

"Most people would believe we are corrupted anyway, for the way that we act."

"Or perhaps Dark magic simply draws people of a certain temperament…"

"And what would that temperament be?"

"Those with the will to act and take the risks necessary to succeed. Much like you and Edelgard I suppose."

Hubert chuckled. "There is much you have to do before you are worthy of standing with Edelgard or I for that matter. The reason you sit here today is because of Lady Edelgard's will. Take heed to remember that."

"Of course. I'm quite aware that you'd invite me to study without her order. You do everything for her. And I'll do everything to achieve my own goals. Let's hope that we don't have to end up clashing one day."

Depending on the choices this girl made in the near future, they might very well have to fight each other. "You better hope, for your sake at least."

Lysithea grunted and continued reading her textbook in silence.

Of the two that Edelgard sought as allies the Ordelian heir was the easier to discern. She did not hide her emotions behind a blank face and her next actions could usually be predicted. That made her easier for him to handle, easier to potentially turn her to their side, and easier to dispose of should the need be.

The Professor on the other hand was an enigma. Potent in combat, wary of his surroundings, and show very few weaknesses to exploit. It would be difficult to deal with him should the need arise… but there was something that Hubert could exploit. The Professor labored intensively for those he was teaching, that much was clear, and so it would come to reason that one of his students would be the way in.

And what better student than the one in front of Hubert right now? It was simply a matter of ingratiating himself to her.

"I see that you're attempting to learn Hades," Hubert observed from the diagram she had laid on her lap, "that is a rather potent spell."

"It is one of the, if not, the most destructive dark magic. At least in terms of raw might," Lysithea replied plainly.

"Rather potent I'd say, but raw might alone isn't always sufficient."

"Banshee to lower mobility, Mire to strip away defenses, and Death to potentially strike a critical blow," Lysithea listed the spells that he had used in front of her during their sessions, "You value weakening and tormenting your opponents before landing the finishing blow. I on the other hand prefer to see them gone in an instant."

"And yet you sacrifice your range for that raw power. Most mages here have learned spells for striking from a further distance such as Thoron, Bolting, Meteor. Even Mire can outrange all of the spells that I've seen you use."

"Most of my enemy die before they can get close and those that do will fall by my blade," Lysithea argued.

Those were no denying Lysithea had become somewhat offensively potent with a blade, but he had little worry about Edelgard defeating her in close combat should it come to it.

"What about archers? Or other mages? They'll strike you down before you can even get close."

"Which is why I often rely on Raphael and my other classmates to serve as a defensive wall. They get me into the range I need to get to."

"It is foolish to always rely on them for aid."

"It is foolish to always do everything yourself. There must be some people that you can rely on in order to achieve your goals."

Naïve. That was how the two of them differed. She was still willing to give her trust out to other people that showed her even the smallest amount of kindness. She would have to harden herself if she was going to survive the path that he and Edelgard walked.

"You trust too easily," Hubert replied. "And there is a strict criteria for those that wish to serve Lady Edelgard."

"Do I meet them?" Lysithea asked.

"Some, but not all. The rest only time will tell."

Lysithea closed the book she held in her hands and shot him a steady gaze. "It would be foolish of me to suggest you open up to others… but perhaps you should do well to emulate your Lady more. She at least has made some effort in ingratiating herself to people like me."

"I live to serve her, not be like her. There is no one like her."

"So, what would you do for her sake?"

"Everything and anything. I do everything for her good, even acts that she does wish me to do. Some that she will not even known that I have down," Hubert looked Lysithea down carefully as he said that.

"Is that another threat?"

"It is. I would dispose of you should I see a need to, even if she doesn't demand it."

"It would be a shame for her to lose such a loyal liege though."

"You sound confident."

"I am. You do not frighten me… there have are others that are much scarier than you possibly could be."

"You haven't seen me at my best then," Hubert replied. Though this girl's magical strength was potent, rivaling his and perhaps even slightly surpassing it, she was quite physically frail and had many weaknesses that he could exploit. Her fear of ghosts for one could unnerve her in a fight and her addiction to sweets would make it a very simple task to poison her. The poison he used was nothing compared to the Von Reagan brat carried. No. A bottle of what Hubert carried could snuff out the life of a Demonic Beast in an instant.

"Well if you truly are superior to me, then maybe you can figure what's getting me stuck on this spell," Lysithea offered as she stood and smugly plopped her book as his lap.

One glance at it told Hubert everything that she was doing wrong. "You're spending an unnecessary amount of time setting up a safety mechanism for it."

"So, what do I put in if the spell fails?"

"Don't let it fail. Skip the safety when you create the structure to cast it."

Lysithea crossed her arms. "Didn't we just talk about the corruptive nature of dark magic?"

"We did."

"And you expect me to risk my mind and body casting a spell without a failsafe?"

"If you are truly confident in your abilities then it's unnecessary." Hubert also considered making a comment about the limited time she had to do anything but decided against it. "Magic is but a tool and you are the one to command it."

"Do you also cast magic like that?"

"Of course, I do…" Hubert let out an evil grin as he found the correct words, "but perhaps that is only to be expected of an exemplary magician like myself."

Pride. Pride in her magic and determination. That was another one of Lysithea's weaknesses and the way that she began to glare at him proved that he had struck true with his words.

"If you can do it, then I can too," Lysithea replied firmly.

"I hope that you will produce the results to back such words."

She had a genuine gift with magic, it was simply a matter of getting rid of what few restrictions she placed on herself in order to get her to thrive. And if she ended failing in the process… well then perhaps she wasn't worth his or Edelgard's time in the first place.

Spurred by his challenge she began to work again with renewed vigor, something that Hubert himself decided to match. They would spend hours like, buried in their respective work, when someone suddenly knocked on the door.

That was strange. An intruder wouldn't have the decency to knock, he hadn't invited anyone else over, and very few people actually sought him out.

Hubert glanced at Lysithea who looked just as confused as he was. He stood up and made sure to hide the more sensitive materials, before walking up to the door and opening it. He nearly winced when he saw the bundle of green hair behind it.

"Hello there Hubert!" Flayn said to him with that unendingly bright voice of hers. "And Lysithea! What have you two been up to in such a drab and dark room?"

"Studying," Lysithea replied before glancing around the room. "Though I do agree Hubert's room could use some decorating."

Says the girl whose room was decorated with a medley of stuffed animals and dolls that would all be stuffed away into a closet the second a guest came in. But then again even Edelgard seemed to delight in a stuffed animal or too. Perhaps that was just something women enjoyed in general.

"What purpose do you have to come here?" Hubert asked Flayn.

"I was wondering if you've seen Edelgard? I was finally able to convince brother to let me perform a task in the Monastery so long as I do so with supervision."

"And you wish to go her Imperial Highness for this task? What is it that would require one such as her?"

"Stable duty!"

"Stable… duty…" Hubert replied cautiously.

"Flayn I can help out if you want," Lysithea suggested from across the room.

"Brother says it has to be someone who's physically strong as many of the tasks involve a lot of heavy lifting," Flayn replied

"Stable duty is simple enough. You'll only need a modicum of strength to do the tasks necessary. Even I could do it, Lady Edelgard's strength is unnecessary for such a thing," Hubert said.

"Does that mean you're volunteering?" Flayn suddenly asked.

Wait what.

"I think he is," Lysithea suddenly commented with a grin that rivaled his on her face. "He is clearly the strongest one here and he seems more than willing to help you with this task."

"I would greatly appreciate if you were to assist me!" Flayn looked at him with pleading eyes.

Such eyes didn't work on him though. "I have more important things to do with my time."

"Then do you know where Edelgard is?" Flayn asked once more. "If I can't find her then I'll have to return to brother with my task incomplete."

"And how is that an issue for us?" Hubert asked

"… I already told him that I had acquired Edelgard's aid," Flayn admitted.

Hubert bit back a curse. If Flayn's task was left undone, then Seteth would likely begin to scrutinize Edelgard for a perceived disobedience. They needed to avoid that at all costs, they couldn't have any more risks to their plan now, but he was also damned if he would let his liege do something as demeaning as stable work.

"I'll do it then," he eventually conceded.

* * *

Stable duty was dirty, grimy, and damn horses could certainly shite for a ton. Hubert was completely covered in manure by the time he was done shoveling it all away into wheelbarrows so that they could be used as fertilizer for the gardens.

The only saving grace of this entire task was a chance to observe the Pegasi up close. Pegasi who unfortunately seemed to favor Flayn much more than him.

"Easy there, there's plenty for everyone," the green hair girl giggled from their tongues as she continued to feed them by hand.

Unlike regular horses, Pegasi were sensitive and elegant creatures that would give their riders their unending loyalty. A Pegasi would stay by their side until either of them died. It was truly rare and admirable trait to find in a creature but in exchange they required constant care and affection in order to truly thrive. This necessitated the need to feed them personally, a task that Flayn had personally took up much to his chagrin. Hubert would've much preferred to do the feeding himself, but unfortunately their skittishness around his presence made doing so difficult.

Hubert sighed as he tossed the shovel he had been using aside, before carefully walking up to her. "I believe that we are done here."

"Almost. There's one more thing we have to do."

"And that is?"

"One of the messengers got sick and I volunteered to deliver his missives in his place."

"Does Seteth know of this?"

"No… but he doesn't have to."

This girl was surprisingly defiant toward her own family… not that Hubert could complain. "And where do these missives have to be delivered?"

"Atop the towers where the watchmen are posted. We'd have to mount up and fly to get them delivered on time."

Wait a minute.

That would mean that he'd be sitting on the back of a Wyvern.

As it flew.

High above the Monastery for him to see.

Oh no.

"I believe that you are more than capable of doing this task yourself," Hubert quickly replied. Acknowledging one's weaknesses was the path to success and it was because of this principle that Hubert knew to avoid getting on the back of any winged creature at all costs.

He was not good with heights. It was his one weakness that he made sure to keep to himself. Not even Edelgard knew. The only person who had an inkling on knowing was the Professor that his liege was so fixated on and that was only because he had written a note to the confessional on a whim before he had known the Professor read those.

"We'd get it done much quicker if we split the letters between us," Flayn replied.

"It would take too much time to get a Wyvern ready," Hubert quickly argued.

"Then we can use these Pegasi."

"Men can't ride them." That was another unfortunate truth that would forever bar his way to his dream. Pegasi would only accept female riders.

"You could still sit behind me while I act as its rider," Flayn suggested. "It would still be easier if you were to help hand out the letters while I focused on flying."

"I still must refuse. It's dangerous to ride a Pegasus with an inexperienced rider, much less while ferrying a passenger."

Flayn pouted. "I'll have you know that I've ridden plenty of Pegasi in my youth."

"How old are you?" Hubert asked. It was a question that he along with many others in the Monastery had.

"Who, me?" Flayn replied skittishly. "Well, I am roughly the same age as the other youths here!"

Not only did she look younger than most people, but she was she phrased it was rather strange. Her speech had always been peculiar, but it was difficult to discern why. He personally had a few theories, but it was nothing conclusive like the knowledge that the Slitherers had. There was a reason they had gone after her for her blood and he intended to figure out why.

Once this matter was dealt with of course.

"I still do not believe that it is good to ride a Pegasi without your brother's permission," Hubert argued.

"Well if you're going to tell him, then I might as well do it now while I still can," Flayn huffed before quickly heading over to grab the closest saddle.

Hubert was now left in a conundrum. If he went to warn Seteth then he'd likely receive Seteth's ire anyway for leaving her alone. If he stayed on the ground while she flew in the air and ended up getting hurt in the process than it would be even worse. There was no stopping her either. She seemed well intent on doing this.

Hubert gulped and stepped forward just as Flayn had finished saddling the Pegasus that she had picked. Unfortunately, the chances of him going unnoticed while carrying her cold corpse were too low. That meant there was only one viable option left to him.

"Let me assist you then," he reluctantly replied.

It couldn't be that bad right?


	29. Chapter 29

The gardens were packed with life, both from the countless flowers that bloomed from the nearby bushes and the students all idling at their tables nearby. It was there that Byleth sat at his table and patiently waited for his invited guest. He and his personal tea set had become a very familiar sight in that area and most of the students there had gotten used to his presence.

Teatime was an intricate and careful affair, with the setting often dictating the flow of the conversation. Here the conversation was often casual and lighthearted, words that were perfectly fine with being spoken around others that might happen to overhear. Further south toward the fishing pond was where the least words would be spoken. The quiet environment, the serene atmosphere of the pond and the fishers nearby, all lead to a teatime that more subdued and meant for relaxation. Finally, his room was perhaps the most intimate spot of all. It was a place where privacy could be assured and was where his students would often open up the most to him.

Though Byleth would've like to invite Ashe for teatime in his room, he hadn't spent enough time with the Blue Lions student to do so. For now, it would be best to keep the conversation casual and hopefully get an inkling about his current condition. If there was something wrong with Ashe that might jeopardize his safety in the coming mission, then Byleth would be able to see it. Most students couldn't hide mask like Claude could after all.

**I swear half of our funds go into these tea parties you host for all your students. **

_We still have plenty of funds left over._

**Which gets spent on the gifts you get for them immediately after.**

_You wanted me to pick up a hobby. It was either this or I go back fishing._

**Even after you were banned from the pond?**

Byleth grumbled as he was reminded of that incident. It had been one of the few times that Jeralt had had to chastise him. All because he wanted to keep doing something he liked for a change

_I still don't agree with that ban and there are ways to get around it._

**A month- long ban was perfectly reasonable for what you did. You got most of the staff and your students angry at you because of that incident! **

_And I still disagree with that sentiment._

**Why is this the one thing that you have to be stubborn about!**

_I like fishing._

**Yea I can tell. Too much in fact. Just be glad that they'll let you go back there once the month is up.**

_Only under constant supervision by one the staff or a Knight._

**Still perfectly reasonable. You've shown that we cannot trust you anyway near a body of water.**

Ashe stepped into the gardens just as Byleth had been prepared to continue arguing with Sothis.

"Professor," the student replied curtly as he walked toward the table and took his seat. "Thank you for the invitation." Though Ashe seemed fine, there were medley of red blisters and bruises across his hands. He had likely been overdoing with his training with a bow.

"Mint or Angelica tea?" Byleth proffered to him.

"Two of my favorites," Ashe quickly took a seat at his chair, "I'm surprised you know that."

"I did my research. So, which one?"

"Mint would be nice…" Ashe glanced around the gardens. "No wonder your tea parties have become the talks of legend in the monastery."

"You exaggerate," Byleth replied plainly as he put the tea leaves into the pot and poured in hot water from a kettle to let them steep.

"Everyone knows about your tea parties. In fact, you're a lot like Astaphor of House Itha. He too was recorded as a Knight with an extensive knowledge and love for tea."

"Tell me more about him," Byleth replied as he handed him a filled teacup. When talking with his students it was imperative to stick to topics that they were interested in. It was the first step to forming a proper relations with them, or at least that was what he had assumed from experience.

"Despite being born in a noble family Astaphor would constantly go out to the villages on his fief to provide aid and succor with his healing." Ashe gently held the cup by its handle and took a brief sip before setting it down. "He was an accomplished mage in both faith and dark magic and actually had quite the sweet tooth in addition to his love for sweets."

Byleth was instantly reminded of a certain white-haired student of his that had a passion for sweets. "He sounds very interesting. Is he one of your favorites?"

"He is… but Loog will always hold a place close to my heart and perhaps his best friend Kryphon," Ashe admitted.

"You spoke about Loog before, but this is the first I've heard of Kryphon. Tell me about him," Byleth replied plainly. It wasn't that he was uninterested in the topic, he simply lacked the passion that others would feel. That his students would often express towards the things that they loved. Just like Lindhart with Crests or Lysithea with sweets, Ashe too had a passion for knights and stories involving them. It was interesting to hear him talk about it, if only to get some clue of the emotions that he apparently lacked.

"Kryphon was Loog's best friend. A knight of great regard whose devotion and loyalty enabled Loog to become king. He went to great lengths to see things through, all for the honor and safety of his king."

"And you too wish to be a Knight, like Kryphon was to Loog," Byleth observed.

Ashe nodded. "I do… in order to make up for my past and repay Lonato for what he had done to me."

Normally Byleth wouldn't try to go for such an intimate subject in this area but it was fine since Ashe had brought it up himself. It was what he had been planning to do anyway, to inquire about Ashe's feelings toward his adoptive father. The same man that the Church had cut down. "You loved him," Byleth replied plainly.

"I did," Ashe admitted. "He was my father. He saved me and my siblings you know. Took a young thief like me and taught him how to read. He was an honorable man, a great man… I still can't figure out what happened to him."

"Do you resent Catherine and I for fighting him?"

It was easy to imagine why. Byleth had his own father that he cared for after all. The thought of Jeralt's death... well it wasn't very pleasant at all. Not that he had to worry though. His father was one of the strongest people he knew, it was unlikely that he'd ever be taken down.

"I did," Ashe admitted as he stared at his reflection in the tea. He looked sullen and confused. "Or at least I tried to for a time. In the end the you two were fighting for the honor of the Church, like any good knight would. I couldn't hold that against you."

"But you can hold it against the people that gave them the order."

"I can…" Ashe admitted as he fiddled with his sleeves. "The Church is supposed to serve Fodlan… but I am not so comfortable living on the Monastery as I was before."

There were some things that were suspicious about the Monastery, turmoil and chaos being hidden underneath its pristine image, but Byleth had grown used to it as part of the world. His students though had spent nearly their entire lives in a sheltered environment. Not that he would fault them for the circumstances in which they were raised in, but it had left them suitably unprepared for the reality and perhaps cruelty of the world.

"Will you be able to protect Lady Rhea?" Byleth asked.

"It is my duty; despite any personal feelings I have. Besides I believe that my anger is better placed against the Western Church. I'm quite certain that they were the ones who set Lonato against the Church. If I could find out why though…"

"You will. We'll make certain you get the information you need." Byleth took a long sip of his own teacup. "What about Lysithea? How do you feel with her cutting down your father?"

Byleth had noticed the long stares that Ashe gave to her whenever she was within his view. He had noticed the way that Ashe's schedule had changed to avoid coinciding with any lectures or activities involving her and how he seemed tense anytime she entered a room.

"You've been avoiding her," Byleth explained as he received nothing but silence from Ashe. "And acting tense. I wonder if that will make it difficult to fight with her on the field"

"I…" Ashe hesitated to reply

"I can't let you come if your emotions risk jeopardizing the both of you," Byleth continued

Ashe clenched his fists. "It's just that… anytime I see her I see Lonato being cut down all over again… and she's always the one holding Thunderbrand." He took a deep breath. "I do have a hard time being around her, but I can assure you that I won't act on these feelings, at least against her."

"There's still a significant risk with having you two come together on this mission."

"I need to do this Professor, please," Ashe begged. "This is something I have to do."

There was a sincerity in his eyes that Byleth simply couldn't refuse. "You can come then… but I will take you out of the battle if I notice you having any issues."

He was taking a risk with this, but he also knew that there were just some things that you couldn't stop people from doing. It would haunt them for the rest of their lives if they didn't or they would try anyway and get themselves killed. Best that he bring Ashe along and keep track of him as they fought.

"I understand and I'll do my best… I know she isn't to blame for this. But I can't help but be uncomfortable around her."

"Fair enough… I don't know what it's like to hate someone or to want to kill them. But I have seen a number of mercenaries act strangely due to hate. I've seen some of my students hurt themselves because of anger or vengeance. Try not to let that happen to you on the battlefield. Your life and the life of everyone here is worth more than that."

Killing had always been simple for him. He never felt much of anything doing, so little in fact Jeralt had been worried when he was younger. The emotions that others felt, whether or not they came from killing, puzzled him at times and yet there were some observations he could make upon watching them.

Ashe looked at him gently as if pondering his words. "I'll try Professor," he eventually conceded. "I understand that I'm not the only one with reason to be angry and its unbefitting of a knight to have such emotions anyway."

"No one's perfect. Even I've made mistakes."

"I wouldn't have known from watching you though… you always seem so impenetrable."

"There is always an opening even in the thickest of armor… but in the end I have to be strong."

"Might I ask what for Professor?"

"At first it was mostly to protect myself. Now it's to protect my students."

"And what will you do once we all graduate?"

"I don't know…" Byleth admitted. In all honesty he never really thought much about his future before. He had always just been focused on what he needed to get done each day. "But I do think I want to see you all grow and for you to be justified for showing kindness to that thief."

"You seemed doubtful about me letting him go before. What changed?"

"Nothing much… I've just learned to hope for the best." Hope was a strange emotion to have. There were no facts or numbers behind, there was no certainty that it would ever be rewarded, yet it proved to be the drive for so many people around him. Perhaps it was time for him to partake of it.

"Hope… can be very powerful." Ashe agreed. "I believe it is what drove Loog to become King. That hope of creating a better future."

"I expect much from you all. This Monastery houses the very best after all," Byleth replied when he heard a very loud wailing above him.

It was loud, primal, fear, that was reverberating through the skies and could be heard throughout the Monastery grounds. Nearly all the other students around them also heard the noise and turned their heads up towards the sky?

"Is that screaming?" Ashe asked.

"It is." Byleth glanced upwards into the sky in order to discern the source of it. His eyes went wide once he made the rather startling discovery. "Is that Hubert and Flayn?"

"I think it is, Professor," Ashe replied as he also looked at them. "Why are they flying together… and why is Hubert screaming so much?"

**That would be his fear of heights I believe.**

_I thought he was just trying to mess with me with that confessional._

**Apparently not. Nothing can replicate the pure and utter fear that he is expressing right now.**

_How did Flayn get him on a Pegasus with her?_

**Perhaps this was a plan of his to dispose of her?**

_Do you think he'd willingly subject himself to this if it was?_

Hubert was currently screaming bloody murder and gripping very tightly on Flayn as she navigated the Pegasus swiftly across the skies of the Monastery. He looked close to fainting at any point and would've likely fallen off by now if he hadn't kept such a tight embrace on the girl. Flayn on the other hand, thought not as scared, was blushing furiously and seemed panic over his grip over her body.

This was probably one of the few times she had ever been touched by a person and if Seteth ended up seeing this… Well maybe Hubert would be better off falling to his death.

"Should we help?" Ashe suggested.

"That would probably be a good idea."


	30. Chapter 30

"Duck!"

Lysithea moved immediately, having long since learned to listen to her partner without any hesitation. She was rewarded by an axe flying sideways past where her head had been and Cyril quickly shooting down the man holding it.

"Thanks," she replied quickly before gathering her magic and throwing it at the forest where a group of archers had been hiding. The spell was enough to chase them out of their cover which made it simple work for her and Cyril to clean them up.

"No problem," Cyril replied promptly as he scanned the area.

"You two work very well together," Leonie commented as she gutted a priest with her spear. The caster fell onto the floor as she rejoined the two of them.

"Well we had a lot of practice," Lysithea admitted as they made their way north. It was difficult to see anything past the fog so at this point she was having Leonie and Cyril lead her to the correct direction.

The Professor had split them into three groups. One consisting of her, Leonie, Cyril, Marianne, and Hilda would head north. The other, consisting of Lorenz, Raphael, Ignatz, Lindhart, and Sylvain, would head South. Both would continue clearing out their respective before eventually meeting at the other side of the lake. The third group which consisted of the Professor, Claude, Flayn, Shamir, and Catherine, would stay close to the Archbishop to escort her and clean up the areas the other groups had gone through.

The Archbishop had always been an unfamiliar figure to her before the Professor had come to the Monastery. Now though she was acting very peculiar and Lysithea was quite glad that Claude was with their Professor, if only to make sure nothing funny happened between the two of them.

It wasn't like the Professor had much of a choice of which group he was going with, Rhea had shown an unnerving fixation on him and did whatever it took to stay near his presence. As soon as the fighting started, it seemed more like she was protecting him. In just a few seconds she had rushed forward past a dumbfounded Catherine and took down a chunk of the enemy before the Professor even had an opportunity to get involved.

After that the fog came and it became difficult to see what the Archbishop was doing, but it was likely from the loud cracks and faint screams in the distance that she was clearly breaking some bones.

Lysithea glanced at Cyril who seemed very enthusiastic as he quickly moved forward with a tight grip on his bow. They were making good progress but apparently it wasn't enough for him as he sped past Leonie.

"Hey Cyril, maybe slow down a bit," Lysithea suggested as she and Leonie picked up their pace to catch up with Cyril.

"Can't Lady Rhea's already fighting too much as it is."

"She'll be fighting even more if you run by the enemy without noticing them. Besides if we can find the mage controlling the fog, then we can get this mission done that much quickly," Lysithea explained to him

Cyril stayed tensely silent, but otherwise slowed down his pace having clearly understood the logic in her words. He was normally quite level-headed and smart in his own way, but that all seemed to go away the second the topic of Rhea was brought up.

"Thank you Cy-" Lysithea was promptly interrupted by an arrow into her left arm that knocked her onto the ground. That arrow was soon followed by another volley that would begin to land in the area around them.

Cyril and Leonie both moved quickly while under fire. They each grabbed an arm and dragged her to a large rock to use as cover. Somehow the rest of them had come unharmed as Leonie had miraculously deflected an arrow that would've headed straight for her chest.

"Glad I got that private lesson with Jeralt," Leonie commented as she crouched down behind the rock with them.

"What sort of lessons involve deflecting arrows with a spear!?" Lysithea asked as grit her teeth and tried to pull the arrow out of her shoulder. It burned where the arrow was embedded as she pulled. "Where's… Marianne?" she gasped as she continued to pull despite the pain.

"Cut off behind us by some reinforcements I think," Leone replied as she peaked over the rock and nearly received an arrow to the eye as payment. "Hilda's protecting her though and they have the Professor behind them so it should be fine."

"Where did they even come from?" Cyril asked as kneeled down and helped pull on the arrow. "I could've sworn we took most of them down back there."

"They were summoned here by some mages probably," Lysithea explained before Cyril gave the arrow one last jerk. She gasped as it came out with a disgusting squelch. It took all her will to stop herself from collapsing due to the pain and instead sit up straight to cast a Heal on the injury.

As Lysithea healed herself, both Cyril and Leonie took out their bows and tried to shoot at the enemy. They were only able to get a few shots in before another volley of arrows forced them to duck down into cover once more.

"You hit anything?" Leonie asked.

"Nope," Cyril replied.

"Lysithea how's your arm? Do you think you smoke them out with a spell?"

"I can't. We're too far away," Lysithea replied regrettably as she finished her spell. Turns out Hubert had been right about criticizing her spell list. She had nothing that could reliably reach those archers from this distance and she'd be a walking pincushion if she tried to get in range. It also didn't help that she only had one good arm at the moment. "And even if I was in range it'll be hard to get a good shot with just one arm."

She was no Marianne or Lindhart when it came to healing, and it was less effective when done on one's own body. The most she could do was stem the bleeding which still left gaping hole in her shoulder. It was difficult for her to move that arm much less use it cast spells or hold a sword.

"Well that's not good," Leonie replied as she blindly fired an arrow into the tree line before ducking back down.

"How many archers are there?" Lysithea asked.

"About six I'd say," Cyril replied. "At least judging by the direction each arrow was shot."

"Really? I counted eight," Leonie replied.

"Well we're cornered anyway," Lysithea bit out annoyed.

"What do we do then?" Cyril asked.

"Either we wait here for the Professor to reinforce us or find a way to break free ourselves," Lysithea replied. "Of course, this is all assuming they don't come here to finish us off."

"Yea I think they're already starting to move half of their numbers to do that," Leonie told them as she risked taking yet another peak over the rock.

Lysithea cursed. This was bad. If they didn't come up with a plan soon, they'd be dead.

Think. Remember those assignments the Professor had given her. Remember the different scenarios he set up with those strategy games. How would he go about doing this?

"You know Warp, right?" Leonie asked.

"I do. Only one use though," Lysithea had only just said that when she began to realize what Leonie was planning

"Can you teleport me right behind those archers in the trees? Do it just before the rest of their friends get here."

"You're suggesting a pincer attack with just the three of us?" Lysithea asked.

"I am," Leonie replied.

"You'll be alone and surrounded by those archers."

"I'll use the tree line as cover. They'll have a hard time hitting me if I keep moving through the fog."

"Let me do that then," Cyril replied. "You can two can stay here."

Leonie shook her head. "I don't know about you, but I'm used to moving around the forests back in my village. This is what I trained for."

"All that training will go to waste if you die," Lysithea argued. "It's reckless! A single misstep over there is all it would take."

"Either that or we all die here, besides I could say the same about some the things that you've done," Leonie argued.

Well Lysithea couldn't really argue with that. Even she had to admit that not having a very long life tended to make her a bit more reckless her actions. That didn't mean she wanted others to follow her example though. "They're going to notice me teleporting you there though. The second you touch the ground they'll shoot you down."

"Not unless I give them something else to look at," Cyril commented.

Lysithea eyes went wide as she looked at Cyril. Had the two of them gone absolutely mad!? Why were the people with potentially long lives volunteering for a suicide mission?

"You're going to charge into the firing line of six-"

"Eight-" Leonie interjected

"Eight archers. How is that a good idea?" Lysithea asked Cyril.

"It isn't," he admitted as he took out his axe. "But it's the only shot we got. You've got until the count of ten before I start charging."

"Cyril you can't do this!" Lysithea shouted at him.

"I'm sturdier than I look. One. Two"

"Leonie stop him!"

"Sorry Lys." Leonie took out her spear. "You better start casting that Warp."

"Three. Four."

"Oh! You two are insufferable!" Lysithea shouted before putting her hand on Leonie's body.

"Five. Six. Seven."

"You two better come back alive," Lysithea said angrily as she channeled Warp through her arm.

"Eight."

Leonie raised a thumb. "Don't worry we got this."

"Nine."

The spell finished and Leonie disappeared in a flash of light.

"Ten!" Cyril shouted triumphantly as he leaped over the rock and charged at the enemy. They would immediately focus their fire on him as Leonie would appear in the tree line behind them unnoticed.

With the spell finished, Lysithea then took out her own sword and ran around the rock. If they were going to die, then they might as well die together.

If only so she could chastise them for their stupidity in the afterlife.

* * *

Claude had always been good for a rousing round of payback. It was a good way to vent and there was an incredibly large amount of people in the Monastery that could use the closure it provided. Plus. there was always this nice bubbly feeling in his chest whenever he saw someone get the comeuppance they deserved. However, there was something a bit disturbing about watching Ashe as he made his way across the battlefield.

"Hey, Teach," Claude called out from nearby. "Is it just me or has Ashe over there been a bit unstable?"

They watched as Ashe shot an arrow into a mage's leg before walking up, snarling, and then stabbing an arrow into his throat.

"A bit yes," Byleth replied.

"Should we be worried?"

A desperate shout followed by a large explosion could suddenly be heard nearby. It wasn't difficult for Claude to figure out who that was.

"Teach I think that was Lysithea's group. They might be in trouble," Claude replied_._

"I agree. Keep an eye on Ashe, I'll go reinforce their group with Flayn," Byleth told Claude.

"Got it teach."

The Professor signaled Flayn to follow and the two sprinted toward the explosion. When she failed to keep up however, he slowed down next to her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and hoisted her against his side as he ran. Surprisingly enough Flayn seemed perfectly calm as the Professor carried her around like a sack of potatoes.

With that amusing sight in his mind, Claude turned toward Ashe's location. It wasn't too difficult to get where Ashe was. Apart from what was happening with Lysithea's group, the current state of the battle was actually quite good. They had come very prepared for the enemy's tactics and the person they were supposed to be protecting was quite deadly herself.

Both Catherine and Rhea were making short work of anyone that wanted to try and kill the archbishop. Thunderbrand's wielder would cut through most of the enemies that headed their way while the rest would be blasted back by Rhea's faith magic or, surprisingly enough, have their heads caved in by her fist.

He would've whistle at the sight of the Archbishop going hog wild on these men if it didn't risk him getting beheaded by Catherine for the perceived offense. She and Cyril tended to get very sensitive whenever Rhea was involved.

Claude raised his bow and quickly shot down an assassin that had been attempting to sneak up on Ashe while he was busy stabbing yet another person in the face. "You should really keep an eye out there," he commented smoothly as he made his way to the boy.

"I am," Ashe bit out as he pointed an arrow toward a rock line a fair distance away. "I think I saw their leader over there. His robes were different from everyone else's."

"You sure about that?" Claude asked. If the bishop was there then Claude couldn't see him, he'd have to trust on Ashe's words alone and he didn't seem to be in best state to make a rational call at the moment.

"I'm certain. Call the Professor. We can end this right here."

"Can't. He went to help Lysithea's group, they're in trouble."

"Then what about the Southern group?"

"They're busy right now and probably the reason we aren't being swarmed here right now," Claude informed him.

"If that's true… then we can do this ourselves. I don't see many enemies over there."

"You can hardly see anyone in this fog." Normally Claude was all for crazy and risky schemes, but the danger of such a charge was hardly worth the reward if it was a success. Ashe wasn't thinking clearly enough about the risks they were taking or of the fact that they would probably capture the Bishop anyway if they just helped out the others clear out the enemy.

"That's why I came prepared for this." Ashe opened up a satchel and revealed that it was stuffed full of torches. There was enough to illuminate half the entire battlefield.

"And why didn't you let us know you had these earlier?"

"Because they won't expect me to have a way to flush them out where they're hiding. We set these on fire and shoot them ahead with our bow. Light up the entire area up ahead and charge depending on the numbers we see ahead of us."

That was actually a very solid plan, one that Claude himself would've thought of. "We'll have to be quick though. Chances are they'll bring reinforcements the second they realize what we're doing. Also the people here are pretty fanatic, they won't start running once their leader is dead."

"They'll be scattered and demoralized without their leader though. And besides the point of this mission was to kill him in the first place."

"Capture," Claude corrected him. "We're supposed to capture him… though I'm sure I can give you some private time with him if you need it."

"… Thanks." Ashe took the first torch and nocked it against his bow.

Claude nodded as he grabbed a torch from the bag and did the same.


	31. Chapter 31

"AAAAUUUGGHHH!" Lysithea let loose a battle cry as she swung her sword at the archer's bow. Infused with Soulblade, her weapon cut straight through the bow and deep into the archer's body. The woman collapsed without a sound, dead in a near instant, as Lysithea's blade nearly bisected her in two.

She barely had time to appreciate her handiwork though before she was forced to run by the sound of footsteps behind her.

The suicidal charge that Leonie and Cyril forced her to participate in had actually worked well… at first. They had ended up cutting down at least half the archers with only minor injuries before reinforcements suddenly came.

They ended up getting cut off from each other and split off to avoid being overwhelmed, with Lysithea having to haphazardly throw out the biggest spell she could in order to draw the attention of the enemy. She presented as a dangerous yet vulnerable target and hopefully that would allow the two of them to escape now that most the people were chasing after her

With her one good arm, Lysithea sheathed her sword as quickly as she could before channeling magic into her hand. Taking Hubert's advice, she skipped the safety mechanism of the spell and went straight into creating the structure of it. It was an incredibly dangerous thing to do without much practice, especially with just one hand, but she needed every second that she could save with her magic.

Once the spell was ready, she turned around and released a wave of dark flames behind her. The flames spread quickly, burning and corrupting everything they touched. At least a few of the people chasing had been burned by it and hopefully it would slow down the rest of them.

Lysithea let out a brief confident smile at her handiwork before she suddenly felt a sharp pain followed by a strange trembling in her arm. She looked down and her face paled once she saw the patch of grey and pale skin that had appeared on her forearm. The spell hadn't been as successful as she had liked, a small bit of the darkness had seeped out and was now corrupting her flesh. It was minor enough that she or someone else could treat, but it would take time that she didn't have at the moment.

She gritted her teeth and forced herself to ignore the trembling of her arm. The corruption was mild for now, but it would continue to spread once it was left alone for too long. If she took too long to treat it then she could easily lose her arm. That was assuming that she didn't die beforehand.

Unfortunately, the chances of that happening became much more likely as she emerged from the forest and skidded to a stop at a cliff's edge. She was nearly a hundred feet from the ground if she were to jump and the only way around was being blocked by the men that were rapidly converging on her location.

Lysithea sighed as she turned and grabbed her sword once more, despite the state of her arm. This had become a very familiar situation to be her, so much in fact that she wasn't even afraid at this point. Just damn tired and very annoyed of being constantly trapped like a rat.

"Well come on then!" she shouted at the enemy as they emerged from the forest. Two soldiers, an armored knight, an archer, and a mage. She would only get one or two more uses before her blade broke. Best to make use it while she could.

The archer fired first, but she was able to avoid it by strafing sideways like Shamir had taught her. She then pivoted on her feet, channeled Soulblade into her sword, and then charged at the armored knight.

* * *

"Are we in range yet?" Byleth asked Flayn as he carried her by his waist.

"I believe so Professor, you can set me down now."

Byleth did so promptly and stepped aside to let Flayn cast her spell. "You'll be able to bring her here even though you don't where she is?"

"As long as they're an ally and within my range I can cast Rescue on them Professor," Flayn confirmed as she raised both hands in front of her.

"I wonder about the offensive and defensive capabilities of your Rescue and her Warp."

"I'd imagine it'd be quite useful. Though I leave the strategy up to you," Flayn replied cheerfully as she cast the spell and light began to gather in front of her.

**I'd imagine your owl will be in for quite a shock.**

The gathered light exploded.

Lysithea barreled through with her sword pointed in front of her. It all happened in an instant. Before Byleth even had a chance to move, his student had already driven her blade straight through Flayn's gut.

**Oh, by the Goddess!**

_You're the Goddess!_

Fear, guilt, and anguish plastered Lysithea's face one she realized what she had done and as the life faded from Flayn's body.

**We don't know that yet! Now reverse time before it's too late!**

Byleth rewound time to the point just as Flayn had finished casting her spell. He moved quickly, grabbing her by the arm and quickly pulled her away.

_You share her name and you have control over time. You're definitely some form of deity._

**Says the child who was convinced he was a demon when we first met!**

"Professor! Is there something wrong?"

Flayn was immediately answered by Lysithea and her sword barreling through where she had just been.

"Oh."

Byleth let out a brief sigh of relief. His relief however was short-lived as he heard a splash from the lake next to them. He turned his head and glanced at the rippling water where Lysithea had clearly fallen into.

_Oh, Sothis damnit._

**What did I do!?**

* * *

Lysithea had just thrust her sword forward when a beam of light surrounded her. It blinded her vision as she ran and by the time it faded her sword was going through nothing but air. That was surprising but not entirely unpleasant to find that there were no longer any enemies in front of her. Her eyes went wide though once she noticed the lake that replaced them.

She forced herself to a stop only to trip on her own legs and tumble straight into the lake. Her body hit the water hard and she flailed her limbs as she tried to reach the surface.

There had never been a chance for her to learn how to swim though and the weight of her clothes caused her sink even more quickly into the lake's depths. No matter how much she thrashed her limbs she would never reach the surface. She was too late to realize this as her strength rapidly faded.

The last of her breath left her lungs lungs and she grasped they began to inhale water. Just as she had resigned herself to her fate, she felt something grab her arm. It was the one that had been shot by an arrow, but she could hardly register the pain as she they used it to drag her up. She was then grabbed by the waist and with one last pushed her head broke through the surface.

Lysithea coughed violently, trying to expel the water from her lungs, and blindly grabbed her savior as she did so. They swam with her to shore and once they reached land, they would set her on the ground.

They then proceeded a sharp blow on the back. It stung, a lot, but it effectively emptied her lungs and finally allowed her to breath again.

"Lysithea are you ok!?" Flayn called out.

Lysithea could hardly let out a word before collapsing forward. Her face would've hit her ground had she not been pulled back and held against someone's body.

Flayn appeared in front of her and kneeled down to heal her.

Her body finally stopped shuddering as the warmth and relief of the healer's magic penetrated her body. The last few moments had been particularly stressful her, but at least she was alive.

"I apologize," Flayn said as she shifted her hands toward the wound on Lysithea's shoulder. "I should've released Rescue away from the lake."

"It's… fine," Lysithea replied as she caught her breath. "Saved me… that's all that matters."

"Thank the goddess the Professor knew how to swim."

It was then that Lysithea finally glanced and finally took a good look at the person who had dragged her out of the lake.

It was the Professor.

Without a shirt. With his toned muscular arms around her waist and her back leaning on his bare chiseled chest.

"Professor!" Lysithea tried to scramble away only for her to grab her more firmly. "This is... improper!"

"Healing first," the Professor demanded. "You're going to run off and collapse otherwise."

If there was ever a possibility of dying of shame, this would be it. Lysithea didn't have the strength though to escape and could only flush furiously as Flayn continued her ministrations.

Not only was there a significant age difference between the two of the, or at least she assumed so, but they were also professor and student. Flayn was fine, but if someone like Hilda to catch sight of this… She shuddered to think how quickly the news would spread.

There was also that the fact that Byleth was the first person, that wasn't her father or Raphael, that ever held her this way. His warmth was also comforting and he was clearly very attractive, like seriously she could understand where Edelgard was coming from now, but that only made things worse.

"There is no need to worry," Flayn commented. "I can assure you that the Professor has no lecherous intent while embracing you. None whatsoever."

That didn't make her feel any better. If anything, it made her feel like he was treating as a child rather than the young woman she was.

"What happened to Leonie and Cyril?" Lysithea asked once her emotions calmed and she was reminded of more pressing matters.

"Safe with Hilda's group," Byleth replied

"That's good then," Lysithea sighed. She then noticed that the fog surrounding the lake had disappeared. "You dispatched of the mages conjuring the fog."

"We did," Byleth confirmed as he finally let go now that she could support herself. He then went to grab to grab his coat, shirt, and weapons that he had tossed aside on the ground. "Now it's just a matter of finding their Bishop."

Lysithea shuddered as she felt something being drawn out of her arm. She looked back at Flayn to find that the healer had begun the process of the drawing the corruption out of her flesh.

"There will be some minor scarring, but you should have full use of the arm," Flayn commented. "They must have had a skill dark mage for their magic to overpower your own."

"If it was dark magic cast by someone else the damage would be more severe," the Professor replied as he walked over with his gear equipped once more. "What really happened?" he asked her.

"I… messed up with my magic," Lysithea admitted.

"How?"

"I rushed to finish my spell without something to contain it. Some of it released and contaminated me."

The Professor crossed his arms and shot her a stern gaze. "You were in a precarious situation. I understand that, but this type of recklessness has been a recurring issue with you recently."

"I understand Professor and I assure you that this won't happen again." She would practice as long as it took, night after night if needed, until she was at full command of her magic.

Flayn finally finished her healing and Lysithea took that as a sign to stand up. She wobbled a bit and had to be supported by the healer to keep straight.

"Are you sure you should be moving?" Flayn asked. "Perhaps you should rest a bit longer"

"I'll be fine," Lysithea replied and noticed a small group of their class further down the lake. It seemed that they were making good progress now that the fog was gone. "Don't have much time to waste anyway."


	32. Chapter 32

Ashe steeled himself as he finally confronted the Bishop in front of him. The leader of the Western Church, the man who had led his father to his death.

"Apostates, sullying this holy land. Know that the Goddess is on our side this day," the bishop shouted at him as he stepped forward.

Faith in the goddess, that was what all this fighting was about. Faith in a goddess that he didn't know if he believed in at this point. Would a goddess have truly let a man like Lonato be deceived by her supposed believers and be led to his death? If she did exist and let that happen, then maybe she wasn't worth following in the first place.

"Lonato's blood is on your hand," Ashe replied as he raised his bow.

"Were you Lord Lonato's page or something? Indeed, he was a devout believer. All we did was provide Lord Lonato salvation from his misery!"

"Salvation?! You used him and threw him away!"

"We showed him the truth, the same truth that you will die for today!"

Ashe fired first and the arrow flew by the bishop's head as he narrowly evaded it. The bishop retaliated with his own spell and retreated back as his men ran forward to protect him.

That didn't stop Ashe as he took out a spear and charged. One he speared through the gut. The other attempted to slash at him with their axe only to be shot down by another arrow from the side.

"He's all yours," Claude's called out from nearby. "Try to make it quick will you? We got some more of them coming this way."

"I will," Ashe replied before rolling away from the Bishop's next spell. As he tumbled, he tossed aside his spear and quickly drew his bow once more.

The Bishop casted a Nosferatu.

The spell headed directly toward him yet Ashe stayed calm. He aimed his arrow at the spell and fired.

It broke through, destroying the spell, and continuing on to strike Bishop in the arm. The Bishop then tried to retreat only to get another arrow to the leg.

"I fight for the Goddess," the Bishop screamed as he tried to crawl away. "You are nothing."

"I was nothing," Ashe replied as he drew his final arrow. "Until Lonato had saved me. And this is how I repay him." He released the arrow and let it embed itself firmly his head head.

With the man in front of him finally dead, Ashe set his bow aside. It was over, he had avenged his father for what these people did to him. And yet he didn't feel accomplished… just empty.

What else was he supposed to do from here?

"You feel better now?" Claude asked as he rejoined him.

"No… not at all," Ashe admitted as he waved at the bloody corpse on the ground. "I thought… I'd feel better after doing this."

"Yea," Claude began to scratch the side of his head. "Well sometimes things don't go as planned. Don't worry about Rhea at least, I'll tell her you accidently struck him down while we were stuck in the fog. Accidents are bound to happen in battle after all."

"Thank you… but why did you help me?"

Claude was a notorious schemer and despite his best attempts to see the best in people, even Ashe had difficulty believing that he did this out of the goodness of his heart.

"Well I have my suspicions that the Western Church has also worked with people that did some particularly gruesome experiments to a friend of mine. Some information on them would be nice," Claude replied.

"We have some time before the Knight's come to finish their investigation," Ashe replied. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we got a head start on that then."

Claude grinned. "I like the way you think."

* * *

Lysithea tended to her wounds and watched from a distance as Catherine and the Professor spoke. Though she was too far to listen in on the two, Catherine was clearly engaged in whatever it was they were talking about. The Professor's face was as impassive as ever though Lysithea had begun to notice the subtle cues on his face that were signs of emotion. His eyes were usually the biggest hint of any emotion he showed and if she had to guess, she would say that he was in a relaxed state at the moment.

It didn't last long though once Ashe would suddenly return and join the two of them. The Professor seemed to keep a rather close eye on him, as if he was some cause of concern.

"You look like you had fun out there," a familiar voice said behind her

"Plenty" Lysithea replied sarcastically to Claude. She was too annoyed and strung out from recent events to even turn around. "And what have you been up to? Don't think I haven't noticed your absence."

"As observant as ever. Well I'm sure you'll appreciate what I have for you here."

A stack of papers would suddenly by placed in front of Lysithea's face.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Information," Claude replied coyly. "About the people that you're hunting."

"And here you are prying into my business again," Lysithea replied before promptly taking the papers out of his hands. A brief glance was enough to tell her that they were indeed involved with the Western Church though it would probably take some time to discern any information about them, if there was such information to be found in these documents.

"I told you I was a curious guy. Besides can't exactly ignore the people that caused so much pain to one of my fellow Deer."

"Why the special attention though? I'm hardly the only one in our class who's suffered." Raphael had lost his parents, Sylvain had to kill his own brother, and Lysithea wasn't sure where to begin when it came to Marianne.

"True, but we can actually do something productive about your problems."

"That still doesn't tell me what you get by helping me."

"Not everything I do has to have some sort of underlying motivation. I am doing this sincerely out of the goodness of my heart."

"Really?" Lysithea asked while raising an eye. She had a very hard time believing that.

"It's the truth. I do value you as a friend, though your power certainly isn't something to laugh at. I admit you are useful and I plan to take advantage of that in the future, but I've also come to enjoy your company. It would be a shame to lose someone like you and those people that experimented on you are probably our best bet at finding a cure for your condition."

"Hmm…"

"I swear on all of Fodlan that this is the truth. I like to have my fun, but I wouldn't joke about something like that."

"Fair enough. I'll believe that you are being sincere for once… just see to it that you treat me with the respect of an equal."

"Great. Now before I inevitably drift back into teasing you again, I should probably tell you to also thank Ashe for this information. He has a real gift for finding things that people like to keep hidden. And also breaking into locks, never thought I'd ever find someone else who also carried around a pair of lockpicks with them"

"The fact that you carry them around is cause for concern." Lysithea knew that Claude was a schemer and that he snuck around a lot, but lockpicks would give him options that she hadn't considered before. Just the thought of him breaking into the forbidden sections of the Monastery, or worse her room, was enough to make her shudder. The lock on her door and windows probably wasn't going to be enough, she'd have to booby trap her entire room with magic if she was going to feel safe again.

"And Lindhart too."

That… wasn't surprising. Lindhart tended to get very devoted over the things that interested him, including her.

"Anyway," Claude waved Ashe over who had apparently just finished his talk with his Professor. "You should take this chance to thank him yourself."

"Fine," Lysithea sighed before forcing herself to stand up. She walked over to Ashe and the Professor just as they seemed to finish their discussion next to the lake. "Hi Ashe."

Ashe stayed silent and kept his back to her.

"Um Ashe?"

His slowly turned around with a strained expression on his face. She assumed it was probably because of the stress of the battle. "Claude told me that you helped to get us the information on the people working with the Western Church. I wanted to thank you for that."

"Do these people have something to do with you?" he asked curtly.

"They do," Lysithea admitted. "And any information you have on them would be greatly appreciated."

"Those papers you in your hands will have everything I know." Ashe turned to the Professor. "I'll be taking my leave now. You can leave the report to Catherine and I, Professor you and your class can return to the Monastery," Ashe replied quickly before promptly walking away.

"What's his problem?" Lysithea grumbled as she watched Ashe walk away and Sylvain running up to catch up with him.

If she didn't know any better, she would say that he was avoiding her. She had cut down his adoptive father after all. If he did hold a grudge over that then she'd either have to avoid him or confront him about it. She preferred the latter option, in the future though, right now she just wanted to head back to the Monastery.

"Professor are you ready to- Oh gods no!" She threw a quick Miasma into air and thankfully had been quick enough for the spell to explode in front of Byleth just as he was about to cast the line of his fishing rod.

"No! You still aren't allowed to fish here!" Lysithea shouted at her teacher as she stomped over to him. She had been the one to check their supplies, where in the Goddess's name had he hiding that thing!?

Byleth looked glumly at his broken before turning toward her. "But I'm not banned here," he argued.

"I don't care," Lysithea shouted loudly, drawing the attention of the rest of the class nearby.

"Lysithea is something the matter?" Lorenz asked before noticing the fishing rod in the Professor's hand. "Ah. Never mind I understand now"

"I don't see the issue," Flayn suddenly walked over with very eager eyes. "The Monastery rules do not apply here and- ooh Professor I think I saw one swimming by over there."

Lysithea shot a quick spell into the water in order to chase the fish away. "That doesn't matter and stop encouraging him Flayn! We still have to escort the Archbishop back to Monastery and I refuse to have a repeat of the last incident!"

"It wasn't that bad," Byleth replied.

"Uh Teach," Claude interjected. "It kind of was."

"I have to agree with him Professor," Ignatz commented.

"See even Ignatz agrees. Now put down that rod!" Lysithea demanded.

The Professor actually pouted as he stowed his rod away. Receiving his ire though was worth avoiding the potential disaster that could've happened. She still shuddered at the fallout of the first and only incident that she would let him create.

"Teach, also the cage you have in your cape," Claude demanded.

Somehow the Professor looked even more crestfallen than before as he reached into his cape and pulled out a large fishing cage that he dropped onto the ground.

"Anything else we should know about?" Claude asked once more.

Byleth reached into his pocket and pulled out a long strand of string with a large worm attached to the end of it. He dropped it and let the poor thing wriggle its way back to its hole.

"Professor… you have a problem," Lysithea commented bluntly.

"You're not the first person to tell me that," Byleth replied.


	33. Chapter 33

It was only the day after her class had returned from the Western Church when Edelgard had invited Lysithea for tea once more. The Empress's invitations had become much more frequent as of late, especially after a class mission, but she never refused. Mostly because the sweets the Empress provided were absolutely divine.

"Where's Hubert?" Lysithea asked before snacking on the cake in front of her. It was a bit difficult using her left arm to eat but it was a necessity. The arm she normally used was still wrapped in bandages and recovering from the strain of the previous battle.

"Detention," Edelgard replied while eyeing her bandaged arm carefully. "Were you badly injured?"

"Just a stupid mistake on my part," Lysithea admitted. "Nothing I won't recover from. Also how did Hubert end up in detention?" It wasn't so much a matter of what he did, but rather of how he got caught. He was usually very elusive despite how clearly he expressed his… evil for lack of better words.

"Seteth caught him flying on a Pegasus with Flayn. Apparently, he didn't appreciate either of them doing that without his permission," Edelgard explained.

That made sense. Seteth would go on a warpath against any boy that got involved with Flayn.

"Wouldn't he have gotten out by now though?" Lysithea asked.

"Seteth is overseeing the detention personally," Edelgard replied.

"Huh, Claude just told me that he and Sylvain had landed detention with Seteth too."

The two of them looked at each other for a moment as they processed this information.

"This can't possibly end well," Edelgard commented.

"Nope," Lysithea replied.

* * *

There were many things that Hubert would suffer through if it was in service to Lady Edelgard. Ending up in detention with the Boar of Farghus, the Von Reigan brat, and the womanizer of Gautier was not one of those things. Just one of them was insufferable, but all three of them in the same room? The result was sheer and utter madness. It was a miracle he hadn't gone insane yet watching the three interact during the brief moment that Seteth had left the room.

"So how did you get in here with us your royal Highness?" Claude asked Dimitri.

It was an answer to a question that Hubert was also curious about. He could understand how Claude and Sylvain ended up in here, Claude had probably got caught trying lace laxatives in a less endearing member of the church while Sylvain had certainly been caught fooling around with women again. It was the prince of Farghus that confused him.

There was clearly something that the Prince kept hidden underneath that calm and polite exterior, a boar or monster if the heir of Freldarius was to be believed, but it was difficult to think of something that would've set the prince off recently.

Dimitri look ashamed as he described what had happened. "One of the knight's horses had been injured in the leg so I deemed it fit to carry it over to the nearest vet."

Wait? Carried a horse!? Hubert had known that the prince was unnaturally strong but that was strength beyond the absurd. Even Edelgard would have difficulty pulling off such a feat, not that she couldn't of course.

"So, did you end up toppling it over or something?" Sylvain asked.

The prince began scratching his head bashfully. "Actually, I might've… flung it off the ground and into the nearest merchant's stand."

It was at that point that Hubert swore the Prince would never get within touching distance of Edelgard again.

Even Claude looked amazed by that supposed feat of strength. "How did you pull that off?" the heir to the Alliance asked.

"I overestimated my strength," Dimitri admitted, "And my Crest had chosen to activate at that point. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but Seteth had quite the lecture ready for me for my actions. I am also to pay for all the damages I inflicted on that fruit stand."

"Is that why Marriane was even more depressed than usual?" Claude asked.

Dimitri nodded. "She happened to be walking by and witnessed me as I did that… I had never seen such rage on anyone else's face. I imagine she would've throttled me had Hilda and Lorenz not held her back."

"Yea she tends to be very attached to the animals," Claude admitted.

"Still as clumsy as always your Highness," Sylvain commented with a sly grin.

"And you're still getting in trouble with women," Dimitri replied curtly. "Ingrid still has to keep a leash on you even after you changed houses."

"Well we've been stuck together since childhood, for better or worse."

Dimitri sighed. "Indeed. Though sometimes I have to admire Ingrid's patience with you." The prince then turned to Claude. "I do hope that Sylvain hasn't been causing too much trouble."

"Hey if anything you should be worried about them causing trouble for me," Sylvain argued.

"He's actually been fitting in quite well," Claude informed Dimitri. "Even started a bit of a competition with Lorenz."

"That isn't a competition, I'm just trying to show him how to properly get a girl," Sylvain replied.

"Must you continue being so crass Sylvain?"

"At least I'm honest with myself. More than I can say out of the rest of you."

"Hey, I'm honest to myself," Claude argued. "I just need something in return if you want me to open it to someone else." The schemer then turned toward Hubert who had been doing his best to stay out of things. "That offer also applies to you, you know?"

"You are mistaken in thinking that I would want to do anything that would associate me with you," Hubert replied.

"Harsh aren't you. Well I know your heart is dead set on her Imperial Highness and all but how well can you serve her if you aren't willing to take an opportunity to get more information?"

"I have my methods and if I truly desired your knowledge, I would acquire it one way or another."

Sylvain scoffed. "Says the guy who couldn't handle a little girl and her Pegasus."

Hubert went stiff as a statue and did his best to resist the urge to fling a spell at Sylvain. Now was not the time, he would get his vengeance in due course. "The same girl that ran away from you because of your sexual advances toward objects, animals, and men?" Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't retaliate with his own words.

"Hey, those rumors are completely unfounded, and she knows that at this point."

"I would still be quite worried to be in your presence. Who knows of the diseases you've picked up from the countless whores you bedded?"

"I can assure you that the women I slept with were high class with healthy bodies. I have standards after all."

Dimitri shot Hubert a firm look. "Though I admit Sylvain's philandering is an issue I would prefer it if you avoid such language when addressing the women courting him."

"My my. I wouldn't have taken you for such a gentleman," Claude commented.

"It is simply basic decency, something that they deserve," Dimitri replied.

"The only woman who has shown herself worthy of respect is Lady Edelgard. I care little about what you think," Hubert replied.

"Maybe I should try courting Edelgard. See what you'll think about her then," Sylvain commented.

"My lady would never even consider the likes of you," Hubert replied.

"Maybe… but she certainly wants to get in the Professor's bed, doesn't she?"

That's it. Vengeance would come now.

Hubert flung a spell at Sylvain's face only to miss as he promptly ducked out of the way. The spell would shoot past him and head toward the door. The same door that Seteth had just opened up and stepped through.

"Well, shit," Hubert said before his spell promptly exploded.

* * *

"What happened here?" Lysithea asked as she looked at the smoldering doorway of the detention hall. Out of curiosity she had decided to see what trouble Claude and Sylvain had gotten into with Hubert, what she didn't expect was the very enraged and still smoking Seteth that had stomped by her on her way there.

"Just a bit of a mishap," Claude replied as he scrubbed some of the soot off the doorway.

"This was far from a minor mishap," Hubert grumbled as he was apparently forced to help clean.

"Hey, it's not my fault you and Sylvain got yourselves an extra two weeks of detention. Honestly Seteth was going easy on you considering what you did," Claude replied.

"I concur," Dimitri commented. "Though I admit that Sylvain does share some of the blame for riling you up, that is still no excuse to retaliate the way you did."

"I'm just glad I didn't get my head blown off," Sylvain commented. "Honestly I always thought if someone was going to do it, it would be Lysithea."

"What do you mean by that?" Lysithea asked annoyed.

"Nothing… you can go along now. Nothing to see here," Sylvain waved her off.

"I would, but I'm wondering how Hubert is going to possibly serve Edelgard now if he's going to be stuck in detention for two weeks?" Lysithea asked.

"I have my methods," Hubert replied.

"So, you have no idea what you're going to do," she replied bluntly. His silence told her that she was correct. "Well good luck with that." She was just about to leave them to their work when Marianne and Hilda suddenly came down the hallway, likely to meet up with Claude or something. What she didn't expect though was the fury that lit up on Marianne's face the second she caught sight of Dimitri.

Marianne made it a point to look away from Dimitri as Hilda went to talk to Claude.

That didn't seem to discourage the Prince though.

"Marianne. Are you still mad for what I did the other day?" Dimitri asked.

Marianne stayed silent.

"If it is then I apologize, I never realized that horse was so dear to yo-"

"You threw Dorte him into a fruit stand!" Marianne shouted at the Prince in her first fit of anger that Lysithea had ever seen. It was a bit frightening, the sort of thing that Lysithea wouldn't wish on her worst enemies… Ok maybe she would but the point was that it was scary and very surprising to be coming from Marianne of all people.

"Who's Dorte?" Dimtri asked.

It was apparently the wrong question to ask as it seemed to enrage the blue haired girl even more.

"The horse!" Marianne shouted at him with a beast like primal rage. Lysithea couldn't help but get goosebumps at the sight of Marianne looking ready to pounce on and tear apart the man in front of her.

"I apologize that was insensitive of me," Dimitri replied with his hands rage. Even he looked frightened by her rage.

"Being insensitive is the least of your sins," Marianne hissed.

"It was a mistake. What most I do to gain your forgiveness?" Dimitri pleaded.

"You stay away from Dorte and the other animals," Marianne angrily replied. "I will not have you hurting innocent creatures due to your incompetence."

Lysithea blanched while both Sylvain and Claude put their hands to their mouths in shock.

"Marianne maybe you should calm down a little," Hilda pleaded as she grabbed Marianne's arm. Even she looked panicked by her words. "I mean Dorte's fine now thanks to your healing right?"

"No thanks to him," Marianne bit back angrily. She shot one last glance at Dimitri before turning around and stomping away with Hilda still hanging onto her.

Everyone else that remained stood there in awkward silence as they tried to process what had just transpired. It was several long minutes of awkward silence before Claude finally decided to speak up.

"Well… your highness, I don't think you're going to be taking your cavalier exam anytime soon."

"Must you make light of everything?" Dimitri sighed as he put a hand to her forehead. "I never intended to such hate from her… it's frightening."

"Hey, give her a knife maybe that'll solve anything," Sylvain commented.

As Dimitri glared at Sylvain, Lysithea began to wonder how giving a young girl a knife would possibly solve anything. It was an absolutely terrible gift and she couldn't imagine any woman crazy enough to actually like something like that.

"Well this is the first time I've ever seen her act like this with another person… maybe you're lucky that she sees you differently," Claude suggested.

"How Claude?" Dimitri asked exasperated. "How could I possibly be lucky to have received her ire?"

"Because this is the first time I've ever seen her pay attention to a person this much since Hilda," Claude replied as he put a hand on the prince's shoulder. "Don't worry I'm sure you'll get along soon… at least if she doesn't tear your throat out first."

Dimitri could only groan to that.


	34. Chapter 34

Lysithea had fully healed and the bandages had finally come off it, yet she wasn't very happy that they were gone as she stared at her arm. Grey skin was the result of scarring left behind by Dark Magic. Even if a person survived the corruption, that patch of pale grey would serve as a reminder of what had once wracked their body.

That was what Lysithea was looking at her arm now that the bandages on it had been removed. It was small, but it was a constant and permanent reminder of her failure to control the magic that she had once so confidently harnessed. A patch of pale grey, just like those mages that had experimented on her.

Darkness wasn't evil as many would say, but it was magic at one of its purest forms. It consumed, or perhaps accepted, everything that it touched yet the body nor most of the world would be able to handle its influence. Many of its practitioners were killed, laid comatose, or simply lost their identity and sense of self as they become one with the dark.

She shuddered and quickly pulled her sleeve back over her arm. With the reminder of her recent failures still fresh in her mind, she continued to pour over the tomes on Dark Magic that she had… borrowed from Hubert's room while he was occupied.

The only thing she ever had control over in her life was magic and she wouldn't let lose herself to it now. She needed to work harder. She needed to be better. There was no way she would let herself become anything like them.

Death was a strong spell with plenty of range to it. Perhaps it would be best for her to learn that first before she got into Hades.

"As studious as always." Lysithea looked up to find Seteth standing across from her once more. "Take care not to let your body suffer because of your studies though."

"Hmph," Lysithea replied as she looked back down at her book. "Believe me the Seteth Specials you've given me are making sure my body stays fit." Perhaps it was a sense of familiarity or it perhaps it was that she no longer had much to fear from him in particular, but she had come to a point where she no longer had to feign much politeness around him. She could be herself, express her annoyance at his meddling, and know that he wouldn't hold it against her

"The Seteth Special? Is that what the staff call my signature dish?"

"They do. And they fear it."

"I should have you know that Flayn has been drinking it since she was a baby and she quite enjoys it."

"You can add ground up fish skin and broth to anything and she'll love it. Besides if Cyril is proof of anything it's probably a taste that can only be acquired if people are exposed to it in the first few years of their lives." Not even Petra could stand up to the might of the Seteth Special when she and Shamir had decided to experiment its effects on her.

"You seem to have acquired a taste for it. The dining staff has told me that you've been emptying your plates for the last few weeks."

"Just because I can drink it without collapsing doesn't mean I like it. If anything, I'm almost afraid of how resilient my body is to it now… among other things. Anyway, is there something you need from me?"

"From your Professor actually. I was having difficulties finding him and your House leader for that matter, so I came to see if you knew where they went."

"I'm not entirely sure where they went," Lysithea admitted. "But I can assure you'll that they'll be gone for some time. A week or so I'd assume."

It wasn't just the Professor and Claude either, both Edelgard and Dimitri had been last seen with the two of them. She also hadn't seen Ashe, Hilda, or Lindhart either, so it was safe to assume that they had also joined the Professor on this excursion.

Lysithea herself didn't really mind being left behind, if their mission was something that required her skills than either Claude or the Professor would've taken her. They didn't so it probably wasn't that important, besides it gave her some more time to focus on her studies while they were away.

"That is an issue," Seteth replied somberly. "I have urgent need of him."

"Why is that?" Lysithea asked.

"Though the Western Church has received a new bishop there are still radicals that have emerged to take the sacred ground of the Rhodos Coast by force. Time is of the essence and I'm going there to do battle, which is why I considered going to the Professor for help."

"Couldn't you mobilize the Knight of Seiros to help?"

She had never seen him fight personally and could only assume he was a bishop or magic user of some sort. If that was the case, he could certainly use the strength of the Knight's to escort him there.

"It would take too long to deploy them and many of their numbers are unsuited for the environment."

Though Lysithea had never been or heard of the Rhodos Coast before it was easy to assume that it was a beach. And beaches meant sand, plenty of it. Sand would cripple the mobility of mounted and regular infantry that built the bulk of the Knight's forces. Only those on a flying mount or skilled in magic would be able to traverse the area with ease.

"So, you need a strike force made primarily of flyers and magic users, to strike the invading force while they're inhibited by the sand," Lysithea observed as she set her textbooks aside, tore out a fresh page on her notebook, and began to write down on that. "Something that the Professor would be able to provide among our class."

"Indeed. You have the right of it."

The solution was simple then.

"I'll come with you and bring the troops you'll need," Lysithea promptly replied as she began to write down a preliminary roster.

"Are you certain that is a good idea?" Seteth asked.

"I am skilled in magic and the Professor has taught me considerably in battlefield tactics. I am the best in the class behind him and Claude for such matters." It was not really boasting to say that considering her grades on tactics and the responsibilities the Professor would dole to her on missions.

"Your grades in tactics have been impeccable," Seteth admitted, "though your experience is where I worry."

"I have fought in plenty of battles."

"Battles where you were being led or you led under the auspices of your Professor. Can you truly lead an entire strike team without his guidance and shoulder the responsibility of those under you?"

"I've already led small groups before, so a strike force is just the next logical step. I have to try, and you don't have time to be very picky anyway. I can gather the people suited for this mission at the very least and if you have any issues with my leadership then you can advise me or take command of the situation." If there was anything that Seteth was good at, it was criticizing a person severely whenever he felt that something was wrong or taking charge of something when things were going seriously wrong. Hopefully things wouldn't ever go to the latter, but it was something to fall back to in an emergency.

"Those are… acceptable terms," Seteth agreed and took a seat across from her. He looked less doubtful of her now and more engaged in their conversation. "Who would you be bringing along then?"

"Myself, Lorenz, Marianne, and Flayn."

Seteth flinched at the mention of his sister. "Must you bring her along? I would be beside myself with worry."

"Without Lindhart we're going to need another dedicated healer."

"Then I can ask for the assistance of the other Houses."

Lysithea suppressed a sigh. She could understand Seteth's worry but his overprotective nature of her was starting to go a bit too far. "She performed well in the last battle, providing excellent healing to the class and saving my life by the way. She is fully capable of holding herself on the battlefield and we need as many spellcasters as we can spare."

"It would be easier to fight if I knew that she was safe," Seteth argued.

"With the Professor and Claude gone she'll probably be safest with you and I than at the Monastery. Wouldn't it allay most of your fears if me and the class were there to protect her. It's what you have assigned me to do here anyway."

Seteth sighed, reluctant, but seemed convinced. "That is true, and your aid would be useful, yes."

"Good," Lysithea said as she began to write down the names of those who would be coming along on the mission. "If we're recruiting from other houses then we might as well take along Dorothea, Annette, and Mercedes. Is Hubert still in detention?"

"He is," Seteth confirmed.

"Could you also bring him along? Give him something productive to do instead sitting in a room and pining over Edelgard just because she left him behind to do something with the professor."

"Just… keep him and Sylvain away from Flayn," Seteth grimaced as he agreed.

"Will do." Lysithea marked their names on her form. "Bowmen might have their mobility reduced but we can put them on more defensive positions to deal with any fliers the enemy might bring. Bernedetta and Ignatz are the only dedicated snipers that come off the top of my head. On that matter though we'll be lacking flyers ourselves." She began to scratch her head as she pondered the issue. "With Claude and Hilda gone the only one in our class with some flying experience would be Cyril. If we could get Ingrid's assistance that would make two, but we'll need another at a minimum to apply most tactics that involve flyers."

"That won't be an issue. I ride a wyvern," Seteth informed her.

"How good are you?" Lysithea asked bluntly. It was a necessary question considering she had never seen him fight, despite how confident he was.

"Skilled enough that I had originally considering routing the Western Church myself. It is not entirely outside my capabilities though I do risk heavy injury going about in that matter."

Seteth was a lot things, but he was most definitely not a liar. If he said he was capable of doing that, then he probably was.

"You'll do then, but you'll have to be coordinated with the other flyers since there are so few of you. That would mean following my commands," Lysithea told him.

He reached over and took the finished roster out of her hands. "You've put considerable planning into this, and you haven't done anything yet to for me to doubt you. I'll take any risks unto myself so long as you promise me that you'll keep Flayn safe."

"I will," she held her hand out. "Could I get that back though? Nothing's confirmed until we actually get them to agree to come and Hubert might be difficult to convince."

"How will you convince him then?"

"I have my ways."

* * *

"No," Hubert replied promptly.

"Why not?" Lysithea raised an arm in frustration. "If you come with us on this trip I can have Seteth cut your punishment by half. You'll be able to run off back to Edelgard that much sooner!"

"She has already run off with that Professor of yours… it is clear that she has no need of me now due to my recent failures."

The man was moping. Hubert was actually moping, to the point where he'd prefer to waste away in detention hall alone then actually do something productive.

"You are acting like a child," Lysithea replied exasperated. She tried to tug at his arm only to find that he remained firmly seated at his desk with his head buried in his arms.

"It takes one to know one."

She let go of his arm, stepped back, and took a deep breath. Don't get mad, nothing would get achieved if she started flinging spells in this room and ended up in detention like he had.

"You're not helping anyone by just sitting here and doing nothing until Edelgard comes back." Lysithea didn't simply have the time to wait for him to stop beating on himself. Besides it would be a pain of Edelgard came back to this and Hubert ended up spiraling down even more.

"And what good would coming with you do?"

"Seteth would probably hate you less for flying on a Pegasus with his sister and throwing a deadly spell into his face. Honestly I'm surprised he still let you continue being a student here considering what you did to him so far."

"Is this your attempt at comforting. Because if so, you are absolutely terrible at it."

"Like you need any comforting. Look we're both people who desire strength to do the things that we need to do for ourselves or others. This is a good opportunity to test that strength and even gather a relic or two in process."

"Relic's that will likely be given to your Professor. He has amassed quite a collection of then."

That was true, one way or another the Professor would consistently receive relics from his own students that he had helped to distribute accordingly to his will. It was rather frightening to think that one man would take control of so many relics at once, but somehow that was what happened. He was definitely special, that much was clear by now, and Rhea's fixation on him only became more understandable as time passed.

"That's true but think of it this way. You help me and the Professor out and you'll make Edelgard happy. Even if it's not exactly conducive to whatever the two of you are planning in the future she would still appreciate the effort you put in. I mean she appreciates everything you've done for. You have no idea how much she talks about you when we have tea."

"Truly?" Hubert perked up.

"Well yea. She likes me but I could never get that same level of unconditional trust that she has in you. Even when you were stuck in detention there was a part of her that assumed you did it to help her in some way. Helping her gain favor with Seteth and Flayn like this would certainly prove that assumption true." Lysithea leaned in and began to whisper in his ear. "Besides the Rhodos Coast is Sacred Land that is normally forbidden for outsiders to enter. Who knows what secrets you could learn there that could be of use to you?"

Hubert crossed his hands and seemed to consider her words. "You make a rather interesting point. Fine, I will attend this little excursion of yours."

"Great," Lysithea clapped her hands. "Now the roster is finally confirmed. You'll be in the same group as Annette, Flayn, Felix, Bernadetta, and me."

"I'm sorry, wait what?" Hubert stuttered.

"It'll be fine as long as you don't ride on another Pegasus with Flayn. Seteth has already banned for riding those for the time being."

"Except Bernadetta has fainted due to my presence on at least two occasions."

"Oh, she faints to anything and honestly from what I've heard she actually gets better at fighting when she's stressed and cornered, or at least that's what Felix told me."

"And why is Freldarius coming?"

"Because when I invited Annette, Felix insisted on coming. He's going to have a hard time moving in the sand, but I figure we can have him stick next to Bernadetta and Flayn while the rest of us move up."

"And he's trustworthy?"

"More than you."

"Fair point."

Lysithea straightened up and prepared to leave the room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll need to confirm everything with Seteth. We'll be marching tomorrow at dawn so get plenty of rest while you can." Finished with that she turned around and walked toward the door. She had only gotten halfway there when Hubert called out again.

"Please return the books you took from my room,"

"Fine."


	35. Chapter 35

Felix didn't take much stock in faith. He believed in the strength of his blade and his will to act, but he didn't think that anyone was predestined for greatness. Anyone could die at a moment's notice, no matter for great they seemed, in the end only you could determine your own survival.

He needed every skill he could acquire to ensure that he would live to achieve his goals, that was why he confronted Bernadetta during the march to the Rhodos Coast. One way or another, he would figure out that technique she had used to disarm him.

"You." Felix said.

"Ah! What'd I do? Am I in your way? I'm in your way. I know I get it. I'm sorry. I can't stand the sight of me either," Bernadetta jumped in place and replied nervously.

"I never said that. Stay right there. You're always running away. You must really find me irritating."

"Irritating, I know! I completely – What? No, I mean, I know I'm irritating, but – Huh?"

"Stop. Do you remember when you came up behind me and knocked the sword from my hands? I need you to teach me that technique."

"Sword? Teach? Technique!?"

"Yes, teach me that technique."

"I don't know what you're talking about. And it wasn't me. You must've dreamed it."

Felix sighed. This wasn't getting anywhere. If anything, though he could always just set up a situation where she'd be cornered by an enemy and use the technique again… no that wasn't right. Even he couldn't do that to the girl.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you in this mission," he decided instead.

"What!?"

"You heard me. I-"

"So, how was that cake I made you," Lysithea peaked her head over from the side and gave him an eager smile. "Delicious wasn't it?"

"Which one?" Felix asked annoyed by the interruption, among other things. Ever since he had said he had liked her baking the white-haired girl had been bombarding her with cakes. Not that they were bad, they were all admittedly delicious and suited his palate, but there was only so much cake one guy could handle.

Bernadetta at the very least hadn't run away but was now completely silent as he and Lysithea spoke to one another.

"The one with ginger, orange peel, and cinnamon. That one was influenced by some Almyran sweets Claude got me."

"It was great," Felix sighed before he felt someone tug on his right sleeve. He began to wonder about which Goddess he had to have pissed off when he turned his head to find Flayn standing next to him. Why would these girls not leave him alone?

"You'll eat her cake, but you won't eat any of the fish I prepare for you?" Flayn asked with a frown on her face.

"The last time I ate your food I got food poisoning."

"I'll have you know that I've been taking lessons from Chef Deddles since then!"

"Chef who?" Felix asked.

"Dedue! He's an excellent cook and a surprisingly patient teacher."

"If you can get Dedue to stand behind your dish then I'll eat it, but only then." Felix might not have been particularly fond of the man, but there was no denying his skill in the kitchen. Hopefully he would be enough to stop Flayn from sending him to the infirmary… again.

"Honestly the only person who's worse in the kitchen is Annette," Felix muttered to himself.

"What did you just say!?"

Felix bit back a curse and turned back toward Annette who had somehow snuck up on him. She was pouting, which was honestly sort of adorable but not what he needed right now.

"Look you are skilled in a lot of things. It's just that cooking isn't one of those things," Felix explained.

"I'll have you know that I've also been taking lessons with Flayn and Dedue!" Annette responded angrily.

"And how well has that been going?"

Annette's face turned pink like it normally would whenever they talked with one another. "Oh, you are the worst."

"Felix, why are you bothering Annette?" Lysithea accused.

"I'm not!" Felix replied.

"I believe he is just trying to be nice," Flayn responded. "He's much kinder than he lets on."

"No, that's not-"

"Oh, how kind could he actually be?" Annette asked. "He's always making fun of me."

"I'm not! You're an impressive person with a lot of things going for you," Felix argued

"Really? Like what?"

"You're the hardest worker I know-"

"Hey!" Lysithea shouted.

"Ok. One of the hardest workers I know," Felix continued. "You're great with magic, you're caring for your friends, and you have a pretty voice." He had realized his mistake just as the words had left his mouth, but by then it was too late.

Annette gripped her fists and turned absolutely crimson. "I told you to forget that!"

"I can't. It's hard to." Ok why was he saying these things? He knew that this was just going to make things worse. "Especially with that footwork of yours."

"YOU'RE EVIL, FELIX!" Annette shouted before running off.

"What did you do to her?" Lysithea asked him accusatorily .

"I don't know. She's been shouting at me like this ever since I watched her singing in the greenhouse!"

"You caught her singing by herself?"

"Yes."

"And you just happened to eavesdrop on her?"

"Not on purpose. I just happened to walk in as she was doing it."

Lysithea sighed. "Well that explains a few things."

"That explains what?" Felix asked

"That you have no idea how girls work."

"Now you're sounding like Ingrid. How am I supposed to tell what other people think or feel if they don't say it clearly?"

"Because there are some things that don't and shouldn't need to be said. Remember how I acted when you…" Lysithea glanced around before leaning in to whisper, "saw me eating cake."

He scoffed. "Hard not to. You freaked out for no reason."

"Well it might not be a big deal for you, but it was for me. It's embarrassing… and perhaps a bit intimate for me to do that in front of someone."

"That's… stupid. Why do it where someone might just walk in and see you?"

"Because I need to enjoy myself sometimes. Even if it's not at the most private location. Anyway, the point is the way I felt about eating cake is probably how Annette feels about her singing."

That… actually made a lot of sense. "Annette did act a lot like you did."

"Exactly. Her singing is likely very intimate for her. Even if it isn't your fault you happened to walk in on her, it would still be best if you apologized… and found a way to assure her that her secret is safe with you."

Felix stared at her firmly for a few seconds. "Tch. Alright I'll do that, but it's not like she has anything to be worried about. If anything, I enjoyed it."

"You enjoyed her singing?"

"I did. Her songs are catchy, and her voice is pleasant. I'm quite curious about how the library song will end."

"You want to hear more? Couldn't you just go to an opera or something?"

"I do like operas, but her singing is different. Is there a problem?"

"No problem… no problem at all," Lysithea replied. "Just good luck with her."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Um can I go now?" Bernadetta asked.

"I'll need to talk to you later once we set up camp," Lysithea told her.

"Why!?"

"I have to check up on everyone. Someone has to do it while the Professor's off fighting elsewhere."

"Oh, yea I heard about that… Y-you don't think he's in any trouble, do you?" Bernadetta asked with her voice trembling.

* * *

(Meanwhile at an arena located in the Abyss)

"We've got reinforcements on the left flank!"

"Claude, Constance, cover the Professor's flank!"

"I do not take orders from one such as you."

"Cover my flank."

"Of course, Professor I shall sally forth immediately."

"Damn it! Dimitri's hit. Lindhart we need you now!"

"One second… I'm already busy healing the brute here."

"Hey. I'm not a brute! I'm the king of grappling!"

"I was talking about Hilda."

"Hey! How could you talk like that to a delicate maiden!"

"Well you certainly don't act li- OW!"

"Don't hit the healer! He's the only one we've got!"

"Sigh. I knew we were all doomed anyway."

"Hapi no!"

"I thought I smelled fresh blood. The worms will feast tonight!"

"Why is the Death Knight here!?"

"Damn it Hapi why!?"

"Now more reinforcements! Everyone just regroup, regroup!"

* * *

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Felix replied.

* * *

The march toward the Rhodos Coast had been… interesting for Lysithea to say the least. It was a veritable gathering of students from all three houses and unlike most missions the Professor wasn't there to keep things together, nor were any of the House leaders there to stop their classmates from getting out of line. It was up to her now to keep things in order, even if it was much easier said than done.

It was for this reason that she finally decided to talk to Bernadetta once they had set up camp for the night. Normally she wouldn't really interact with someone like the recluse, but she was the one leading this mission and it was her responsibility to check up on everyone there. It was something the Professor would always do to great effect, his company on these marches would often build up morale and create a sense of cohesion with the group. He was just a very good and inspirational leader despite how emotionless he initially seemed. Of course, trying to replicate him was easier said than done.

"How have you been?" Lysithea attempted to initiate some small talk as she sat across from Bernadetta. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, because the recluse immediately let out a small screech and started to cower away.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I just wanted to see how you were. How you felt about being on this mission?"

"Why would you care about me and why exactly did you bring me along?" Bernadetta asked Lysithea for what seemed like to be tenth time this march.

"Because you're capable and I need you," Lysithea replied promptly.

"You need me?... No you don't need me. This is all a trick isn't it? You, Seteth, and Hubert are working together to bring me out in the middle of nowhere and dispose of me aren't you!"

"For the love of- No I am not trying to kill you!" How paranoid could this girl get? It was absolutely insufferable.

"Eeep- you're mad!" the purple haired recluse immediately cowered away. "You're going set me on fire, burn me alive into a charred-up corpse that you wouldn't even have to bury. Just let the wind carry me ashes into the air."

"I can assure you are not going to be burned to death. I'm not out to hurt you."

"Then what about Claude or Sylvain?" Bernadetta accused her. "I've heard your threaten to burn them alive into a crisp."

"They're an exception and honestly they were asking for it. Besides didn't you threaten to burn Sylvain alive too?"

"How do you know about that?"

"Because he told me."

"He did?"

"Yes," Lysithea sighed. "He also told me about how much he loved that book of yours."

"You're l-lying."

"I'm not. I do lie and keep secrets about a lot of things admittedly, but I'm telling you the truth. He thinks you're a good writer. Just take the compliment and don't freak out about it."

"You should listen to her Bernie," Dorthea suddenly joined the two of them. "You're a very sweet girl with a lot of talent. You should be proud of that."

"P-proud? Me? But I'm just plain old Bernie…"

"Look," Lysithea shot Bernadetta a firm look that would've sent her running away had the Songstress not kept a firm grip on her. "You clearly have a lot troubles, but you're not the only one with their fair share of pain of suffering."

"Aren't you being a bit harsh there Lysithea?" Dorothea replied. "You don't understand some of the things that Bernie's been through."

"I'm a harsh person," Lysithea admitted. "I'm impatient and I have a temper, that doesn't mean I'm wrong though. We've all had terrible things happen to us. Raphael's parents were killed by monsters, Dimitri went through the Tragedy of Duscur, Dedue likewise went through the culling of nearly his entire people, I could write you a ten page thesis hypothesizing the things that plague Marianne, and I was captured, tortured, and subjected to a fate nearly worse than death on at least two separate occasions in my lifetime."

"Two? I thought it was just the one with the Death Knight," Dorothea commented.

"I was a child the first time, long story. The point is whatever it was that Bernadetta went through, I sympathize, but I'm not just going to stand idle while she vents her irrational fears on me when she could be doing something productive instead."

"Y-you're right," Bernadetta admitted. "I'm not the only one who had terrible things done to her, but I still can't do anything right. I'm useless and unmarr-"

"Bernie never say that again," Dorethea told her firmly.

"Bu-"

"Don't alright. For my sake. We're friends aren't we?"

"Ok…" Bernadetta conceded.

"Just be ready to fight alright?" Lysithea replied before promptly walking away. She wasn't very good at this and would just leave it to the Songstress to keep the recluse calm.


	36. Chapter 36

"Well… that was cutting it close," Claude panted as they stood over the large pile of corpses they had created in the arena. "It was getting a bit crazy there with the Death Knight showing up."

"It would've been nice if we had someone capable of Dark Spikes among us," Edelgard panted as she used her axe to support herself. "Claude why didn't you take Lysithea with us?"

"She's afraid of ghosts, you think she can handle going into the Monastery's spooky basement? And doesn't Hubert know that spell too?"

"He's still in detention. I couldn't take him while Seteth was there."

"Then that sounds like his fault, not mine."

"You were there when it happened!"

"That was Sylvain not me!"

"The point is," Dimitri interrupted the two of them, "is that we've routed the enemy and ensured the safety of the inhabitants here. That's all the matter."

"The prince has a point," Yuri replied, seemingly the most composed of the four despite how fearsome the fighting had been. "Though I do believe most of the credit goes to the Professor here. He fought like quite a monster holding off the Death Knight while we routed the rest of the enemy."

**If only he knew the truth of it**.

Byleth winced not from the pain of healing, but from remembering his fight with the Death Knight. Twice he had died fighting him that time, only to eke out a draw in the end. Without the divine pulse he still wouldn't have stood a chance despite the training he had went through.

**Don't be so hard on yourself. That thing is clearly not human, no person should be expected to win against it alone.**

_I can still do better. We ran out of your power early because of my deaths and that ultimately led to more injury for my students._

**They're alive and none of those injuries are serious.**

_It's still my responsibility to at least protect them from what harm I can._

**Sigh… you're always too hard on yourself. I'd chastise you for it but you're clearly too tired after what just happened here. Be proud of your students at least. They just fought an entire army of those bandits. I swear those reinforcements would not stop coming.**

"Where did they get all these people?" Byleth asked Yuri while glancing at the corpses they had gathered.

"There are plenty of people who've drawn a bad life in lot. They just happened to take this option rather than a quiet life in the Abyss," Yuri replied. "As for why though, we're still figuring that out."

"I do hope they're not after the books in your extensive library, at least after I've read all of them first," Lindhart commented.

"The safety of the people and then their home takes priority. The books would be protected for the most part and even then, I don't think that's their true aim. It's something else," Yuri mused.

"Maybe Aelfy knows what they're coming for. He knows the most about the Abyss after all," Hapi commented.

"Aelfey?" Byleth asked.

"Aelfric. He's the reason the Abyss still exists in the first place. I'm sure the two of you would get along," Yuri replied.

* * *

Lysithea took a deep breath and enjoyed the smell of the ocean as stared at the horizon from where she stood. From a distance behind her, Flayn and Seteth were both crouched over a monument and giving a silent prayer. A grave, Lysithea had recently realized, and one that she gave a wide birth in order to give them the privacy that they deserved.

In all honesty the journey to the Rhodos Coast was more dramatic than the actual battle itself. Everything had gone precisely as Lysithea had planned. Everything performed their roles and exceeded what she had expected from them.

"Thank you for your assistance today," Seteth's voice called out from behind.

Lysithea turned to find that he had left Flayn to mourn alone in front of the monument. "You're welcome… are you sure you should be leaving your sister alone?"

Seteth glanced back briefly at Flayn. "I have said what has needed to be said to my wife. There are some things that Flayn will wish to speak with in private with her mother."

"Wait. Your wife… and her mother?" Lysithea asked. That didn't make sense at all… unless it involved some complicated incestuous relations which honestly wasn't that uncommon among the nobility. Producing Crests made even incest an option to be considered among nobles if they got particularly desperate.

"Ah…" Seteth let out apparently having realized the implications of his words. "I did say you deserved to know the truth at this point."

"And that truth is?"

"That Flayn and I aren't siblings, but rather daughter and father."

Lysithea froze in place as she tried to process his words. "Flayn… is your daughter?"

"She is."

It was just so hard to fathom and yet it somehow made so much sense. Seteth's overprotective nature and weary attitude which contrasted with Flayn's cheerful yet almost naïve personality, led to a clear difference between them that was much more pronounced than the two of them being just siblings.

"No wonder you're so overprotective," Lysithea couldn't help but let out. He was essentially a single father protecting his one, and likely only, child. Her own parents had given up so much to ensure her happiness so she could imagine the lengths that Seteth would go through to protect his own.

"You believe I'm overprotective?" Seteth asked.

"Well, now I mean-" Lysithea stuttered over her own words as she realized what she had just said to him.

"It's fine," Seteth sighed. "It's… interesting hearing that from another perspective."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have spoken in such a way."

"But you have though. I won't criticize you for expressing your thoughts… perhaps I do smother Flayn somewhat. But she is all that I have left. To risk losing her…"

"You have a very good reason to act the way you do and it isn't my place to comment. I'm just surprised at all of this."

"It is understandable that such a revelation would shock you. It is a secret that we've kept close to only a select few after all. It certainly helps that I have the youthful complexion to pull off being her older brother."

"You certainly do," Lysithea replied. How old was Seteth anyway? He had to have Flayn at a young age… or maybe he was actually much older than he looked. "I'm assuming that you're keeping this secret in order to ensure her safety?"

Seteth nodded. "I am?"

"And you trust me enough to tell me?"

"You saved my daughter once and you helped me dispatch of the people that would defile my wife's grave. You have more than earned my trust at this point. You and your classmates have also become much more capable than I had initially expected, you've all exceeded my expectations."

"Well, we had a good professor."

"As you've said before. Though some credit has to go to you. You've clearly taken his lessons to heart. I have a few things to complain about the way you led your classmates today."

"A few things?" Lysithea asked. She would prefer it if there was none. "What do you think I should've done differently then?"

"Just a few observations. Ways you could position them in case of enemy reinforcements or if something unexpected happens. I also noticed that some of enemy had particularly close to our healers."

Lysithea would've argue that Flayn had been perfectly safe, but after recent revelations it would probably be in poor taste.

"You can tell me then once we've made camp for the night," she replied before they made their back to the rest of their group. It was a trip made much easier by Seteth's wyvern which had the strength to ferry all three of them across the ocean and back to the beach where the rest of their allies waited.

From above Lysithea had a perfect of the blood stained and corpse riddled Coast, a result of their recent battle. Many of the bodies that laid there were there because of Seteth himself.

He was much more formidable on the battlefield than she had expected. Like any flier, his wyvern had given him impeccable mobility on the sands and waters of the coast. What set him apart though was the elegant yet ruthless way in which he fought.

Whereas the Professor would often fight with a sort of calm but simple ferocity, Seteth fought with a ruthless grace. More than once the Wyvern rider would dive confidently into a group of enemies, both on the ground and in the air, as he swung his spear. Each swing of his weapon was a step in a deadly dance that cleaved through every person in front of him, which said nothing of the wyvern he rode. His mount was more than happy to take the heads off of anyone foolish or unlucky enough to be in front of it whenever it flew or landed.

Seteth that was perfectly comfortable on the battlefield, a person who had likely experienced it countless times before. It was just difficult to imagine that this was the sort of person he was but, after witnessing him fight and flying on the back of his wyvern, Lysithea realized that there was side to him that she had never noticed before.

* * *

Funnily enough, Seteth was hardly the most surprising thing Lysithea would see on the beach. No, the real surprise was the cliff where she had left Bernadetta.

"Wow..."

There was little else Lysithea could say to aptly express what she felt as she and Dorothea trekked up the cliff where the recluse had been placed.

It was an excellent spot for a sniper and Lysithea had expected even the recluse to be effective from there. The number of bodies though completely dwarfed her expectations.

Bernadetta may not have been the dead eye shot that Claude was but what she lacked in aim she certainly made up for it with the veritable volley of arrows that she had ended up firing. A good chunk of the people that tried to tread the cliff towards her had ended up looking like very bloody and messy pincushions.

"Bernie does good work doesn't she," Dorothea commented.

"Much more than I expected," Lysithea admitted.

"She's more than most people think, but thankfully most of our class has noticed this."

"No offense… but I didn't really she'd get along well with the Black Eagles."

"There are a few people, mainly Hubert, that can be quite intimidating," Dorothea admitted. "But they all mean well."

"I'll keep that in mind. I'll certainly have to think more of how we can better utilize her skills in the future."

"Don't demand too much of her though. She's still a precious young lady after all."

"You're very attached to her," Lysithea observed.

"She's a friend and I have to make sure people don't hurt her. Especially now that she's making the effort to open up to people."

If Bernedetta was indeed making that effort, then Lysithea hadn't been there to see it. The Black Eagles and even the Professor would know the recluse better than she did after all.

Soon enough the two of them would make it to the top of cliff where Bernadetta was still standing with her bow nocked

"I-is it over?" the recluse asked as her eyes continued to dart all over the place in search of another enemy.

"A while ago. You can put down your bow now Bernie," Dorothea replied gently.

"Oh okay," Bernadetta finally set down her bow. "I was worried that there might be more coming."

"I can assure that there are not and didn't you overdo it a little?" Lysithea commented as she made sure to give a wide birth to particularly broken and bloodied wyvern.

It was honestly sort of frightening. An arrow or two in the gut was usually enough to take a grown man out, but Bernadetta just kept firing into them even after she had already given them a fatal shot. Granted the recluse was apparently a naturally quick shot and her Crest of Indech only further enhanced her firing rate, but there was just so many arrows fired into these people that it had long since past of the point of overkill.

"Did I mess up again?" Bernadetta asked meekly.

"No… you did great… I just… where did you even get those arrows?"

Lysithea had kept stock of their inventory, including the number of arrows she had distributed to each person. Just a brief glance alone told her that there was nearly twice as much in the enemy then she had actually given the apparently deadly archer.

"Th-They were trying to kill me. So I just grabbed whatever I could find to shoot at them."

It wasn't just arrows that Bernadetta had apparently scavenged off the enemy to use as projectiles. Lysithea could count at least a few knives, rocks, and even a spear to the head.

All in all, the recluse had one hell of a fight or flight instinct. It was quite fortunate for most people that she normally defaulted to the latter.

"Well… good job then," Lysithea replied. "I'll make sure to your skills in the future."

"What!?" Bernadetta shouted.

"Well clearly you're much more skilled than I had ever anticipated. It would be a waste to not promote your growth nor make full use of your abilities. What do you think Dorothea, could we start taking her around in the future?"

"You'd have to ask Edelgard," Dorothea replied. "But I'm sure she'll especially if you volunteer to come along on some of our missions in the future. Everyone knows she's taking a liking to you and the Professor."

"Well I certainly wouldn't mind seeing how the Black Eagles function as a group," Lysithea replied. "I'll go and confirm it with the Professor and Claude once they come back."

"But I don't want to do this," Bernadetta pleaded.

Dorothea suddenly walked over and gave Bernadetta a hug. The difference in their height made it so that the recluse's face was buried firmly into the songstress's substantial chest.

It was something that Lysithea couldn't help but feel a pang of pity and envy upon seeing.

"I know it's hard Bernie," Dorothea said soothingly to the recluse. "But it'll be a good thing for you to try getting along with other people. Besides don't you like their Professor?"

"I guess I do… but I don't know any of them that well. And you and Petra won't be there!" Bernadetta argued, her voice muffled in between Dorothea's chest.

"All you're doing is joining their class for a mission or two. We'll still be classmates and if you do this I think I could convince Eddie to let you stay in your room a bit more."

"Really?"

"Yea. She won't be as compelled to try and take you out if she thinks you're making an effort to get to know more people."

It took quite some time, most of which Lysithea spent staring at the two of them, before Bernadetta finally lifted her head up and moved away from Dorothea's embrace.

"Alright. You're right. B-Bernie can do this!" the recluse pumped her fists into the air.

"That's the spirit Bernie!" Dorothea cheered her on.

"Just a bit of suffering and I'll be rewarded with even more time in my room!"

"What do you even do stuck in there all day?" Lysithea asked.

Bernadetta yelped, apparently having forgotten that she was standing there, and immediately leaped behind Dorothea for cover. She then poked her head out from behind the songstress and looked at Lysithea cautiously.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious? It seems difficult to find much to do in one place for so long," Lysithea pondered

Granted it was a bit hypocritical to say that considering how long Lysithea spent in the library, but she had a solid purpose for being there and a goal that she had to work toward.

"Do you have something you can only do there?" Lysithea asked. If the recluse had something to work toward in her room, then perhaps she could understand it.

"Oh... I just read and write-"

Lysithea was quite aware of those hobbies having remembered her previous discussions with Sylvain over the recluse. What surprised her though was what Bernadetta continued to say next.

"And knit, and raise plants, and draw, and collecting cute things, and then writing and drawing about those cute things," Bernadetta continued.

"You have quite a lot of hobbies," Lysithea replied.

"Bernie's a very impressive and skilled girl. You know she actually knitted me a new scarf once?" Dorothea commented.

"I see so you spend time in your room developing the skills that are important to you. You then apply these skills to provide aid to your allies," Lysithea pondered. The recluse was more productive than she had once thought. Bernadetta gained her respect in a way.

"I guess so?" Bernadetta replied, confused. "I just don't want to be a burden. I also like to cook."

"How do you cook in your room?" Lysithea asked.

"I don't. I just sneak into the kitchen when no one's there."

"Sneak into th-" Lysithea's eyes went wide. "Do you do that at the middle of the night?"

"Yes?"

"You're the Midnight Kitchen Spirit!" Lysithea shouted before immediately realizing her error. "N-not that spirits are real or anything, but I was always suspicious of somethi- I mean someone skulking around the dining room at night."

It had all started when she had decided to get something to eat after a late night of studying. It was absolutely stupid now that the truth was revealed, but she had been absolutely frightened when she had starting hearing scurrying around the kitchens and completely petrified when she noticed the still blazing oven that a ghost could've very easily pushed her in.

"You're the reason I was so worried about going to the dining room," Lysithea accused her. It took an entire week before she could actually step back into the dining room and never again at night.

"I'm sure she wasn't trying to cause you any trouble," Dorothea replied.

"I'm sorry," Bernadetta cowered, "I just wanted to bake a cake."

Lysithea immediately froze. "Cake?"

"Yes, a cake," Bernadetta replied

"What sort of cake?"

"Um. Purple yam base with a buttermilk frosting and some peaches."

"Do you think you could make that again?"

"Um… I could. Why?" Bernadetta asked

"Well then I could forgive you for scar- I mean startling me if you were to make me one."


	37. Chapter 37

The next day Seteth found himself within the Archbishop's quarters. It was one of the few places where the he, Rhea, and Flayn, could speak as family instead of using the false personas they had adopted for so many years. This room was a brief respite for the constant vigilance they needed in order to protect themselves and maintain order within Fodlan.

"Has your excursion to the Rhodos Coast gone well?" Rhea asked.

"The apostates invading the land were dealt with and there was little damage to the site itself." Seteth spoke plainly but also courteously. Though they were family he had difficulty relaxing around her or even Flayn for that matter. He was never a particularly lax man even before the massacre. The death of his wife and the years he spent fighting for his family's sake had perhaps exacerbated that trait.

"I am glad to hear that you wife's grave remains undisturbed," his sister replied. "Though I only knew her for a short time, I could tell that she was kind and caring person."

"She was" Seteth replied wistfully. He let himself that brief moment of recollection before straightening his back. Both he and his sister were calmed by the other's presence, but they never quite allowed themselves to relax completely. "I should also inform you that we were waylaid by bandits on the march back to the Monastery."

"Were you hurt?" Rhea asked

"No, they were dealt with quickly with only minor injuries at best, though we did spend some time making sure to stamp out whatever dissidents we could."

"Apostates, criminals, murderers, and thieves. Their numbers seem to grow despite the succor the Church has provided across the land. No how much we guide them; humans still seem prone to the same mistakes time and time again." Rhea's face seemed serene, but the fury in her eyes was clear to him and anyone else unfortunate to be on the receiving end of her wrath.

"They live short lives. Though we remember the lessons of the Goddess, their children and their children's children may not," he replied calmly.

"Then they must be reminded, harshly. See to it that all who forsake the goddess's teachings meet their end by the blade."

Seteth sipped on his tea, having since gotten used to Rhea's rather bloodthirsty tendencies. He was the rational one among the two of them, or at least that was the role he had given himself. There were times where he had to caution her over her emotions and some of the hasty decisions she made.

The Nabateans were ancient; a result of their long lives. For them, memories that were but a thousand years past seemed fresh even today. This was once considered a blessing, but perhaps now it could also be considered a curse. The death of his wife on the battlefield and the slaughter of their people was still as vivid in his head as the day he had witnessed it with his two eyes.

Rhea too had suffered in the war especially from seeing their mother murdered in cold blood. That was why he was able to understand her pain and suffering. Why he was able to accept how closely Rhea could delve so closely into madness. It was because he would've likely ended up like her if not for Flayn.

In the end the three of them were family and they were all they had at this point. He had chosen to serve Rhea and accept her for what she was.

"How have his students progressed?" Rhea asked, clearly referring to Byleth. "I would imagine he has more than fulfilled the role we have given him."

"They have progressed well under his tutelage," Seteth admitted with a nod of his head. "Though this year's students are talented in their own rights, there is no denying that the Professor contributed to their growth. There are many that might prove capable of serving us once they graduate."

"I've received quite a few candidates from our faculty this year." Rhea gestured toward the small stack of papers upon the table. "To offer their students positions within the church. I was meaning to go over with them with you today."

"Let us start then," Seteth replied. He had read and memorized the documents before he had handed them to Rhea. "I would not suggest Lindhart be allowed a position in the Monastery," he told her, already prepared to reject Hanneman's recommendation

"Why would you say that?" Rhea asked. "According to Hanneman he has shown a remarkable mind and great fervor toward research. He is a part of the Empire, a people with a long history of serving the Church faithfully. Hannemen has also stated that he would likely be willing to throw his own noble title aside should we provide adequate incentive."

"His fervor towards the research of Crests seems all consuming for him. He cares about little else, even the consequences of his actions. And there will be consequences should he continue prying into the secrets of the Church," Seteth informed her.

"Can't you keep him in check?"

"For the time being, though I suspect that he has already found a way into the forbidden sections of the Monaster."

"Shouldn't we expel him then?"

"It is a suspicion at most. I can't under good conscience punish someone without proof, but if he did it do as I suspect then he is also skilled enough to hide all evidence of his misdeeds. The most I could do was lecture him over his slovenly ways. He is elusive like Claude and it frightens to imagine the possibility of the two working together."

"Wouldn't someone of such intellect and elusiveness work be of great use to the Church? Despite such risks?"

"He is a man fully devoted to his interests. And though those interests might align with ours for now, how long will it take before something else draws his curiosity? Secrets that must never be allowed to see the light of day. He is too dangerous to keep around."

"In that regard isn't it dangerous for him to be left unchecked? Under the Church we could monitor his movements and dispose of him if he ever does become a threat." Rhea spoke with an air of casualness, as if she was suggesting changing the drapes of her bed rather than planning the killing of one of their students.

Seteth remained composed, though he had to suppress the urge to flinch at Rhea's suggestion. "I wish to avoid unnecessary bloodshed if possible. Though dangerous, what he does isn't due to malice towards us and our people."

"Then we'll have to keep a close eye on him to make sure that that isn't needed. What of Manuela's recommendation?" Rhea aske.

"Academically I have no issue with offering a position to Dorothea. However, she would easily reject our offer should a wealthy enough suitor appear before her."

"Her ability to charm men can be of great use to us, but it is not a particularly heavy loss if she were to go elsewhere. Offer a suitable position for her and we'll see what the fates decree."

"As you say."

"And what of Shamir's suggestion?"

"Cyril has always shown an intense devotion towards you and the Church. He would never betray you, of that I am certain, and his skills in archery have been praised by Shamir."

"Then we'll have little issue offering him a position among our most devout once he reaches a suitable age."

"Can we also provide for him should he ever finds something else that he desires? It is the least we could do for his service." Also, though left unsaid, Seteth would prefer it if he'd find something else to live for aside from Rhea.

"Of course, the faithful must be rewarded. And now onto the last of our recommendations. What do you know of this Lysithea that Catherine suggested?"

"Lysithea has incredible skill in magic for one of her age and has shown to have potential with the blade. She would be a great asset among our ranks."

"You sound quite hopeful of her."

"I have seen her skill firsthand on the Rhodos Coast… and have willingly confided Flayn and mine's secret with her."

For once Rhea look shocked. "It is surprising to see you confide in someone else. She has gained a considerable amount of your trust."

"She saved Flayn. I owe her dearly for that," Seteth admitted. "But even if I put my personal feelings aside, she has fought valiantly for the Church and has faithfully kept the secrets that I have given her. She has more than earned the responsibility I have given here."

Rhea's eye twitched as she continued to read. It was but an instant, a very subtle cue that very few apart from Seteth knew how to read. "It says here that she has two Crests."

"She does," he admitted

"There is only one group apart from us capable of imbuing a person with blood of our people."

"I can assure that there is no love lost between her and our enemies. Like us, she has suffered because of them. The loss of her family and the experiments they put her through has given her enough motive to see them all destroyed."

"A common enemy," Rhea observed. "But according to this report her lifespan has also been drastically reduced as a result of her experiments. Five years at most, hardly any time to make use of."

"It is because of her lifespan that she works as hard as she does." Humans had naturally short lives, some even shorter than others, but it was because they were so fleeting that they were determined to act and progress. Lysithea was perhaps the most apparent proof of that. "If we were to assist her then there is much, she could achieve even with the limited time that she has."

Rhea closed her eyes, a sign that she was considering his words. He patiently waited until she opened her eyes five minutes later.

"Our enemy is elusive, but perhaps her will to act as you have stated might be what it takes to flush them out. We shall aid her in her hunt, provide her the information and resources she needs to bring them down."

"I believe that there are better ways to utilize her," Seteth suggested instead. Though he wished to see their enemies brought to justice, he wouldn't do it at the price of Lysithea's future. She deserved some measure of peace and happiness with the time that she had remaining. "She has also shown an ability to lead and teach. Offering her a position as Professor or giving her a position among our mages would make full use of her skills."

"I'll leave it to you then to see where she can contribute the most. And what motivates her? Will she accept a position, despite being a noble of the Alliance?" Rhea asked.

"Her house has fallen into disrepair and she has no desire to retain the title. She does not seek to rebuild but rather dissolve it. So long as we provide comfort and security to her people and her parents, she'll be more than willing to work with us."

"It has been a long time since the Church has annexed lands in Fodlan. Wouldn't the Alliance disagree with such an intrusion?"

Rhea was right to think this. Of the three nations, the Alliance had always been the one whose allegiance could be questioned the most. They valued their independence and wouldn't take kindly to an excursion from the Church. Even one with the purpose of providing humanitarian aid.

Fortunately, Seteth had already planned for that. "Rather than annexing the land we can split it and distribute towards the families that have consistent support of the church."

"Which would ensure a stronger foothold in the Alliance." Rhea put her hands on her lap, clearly pleased by his suggestion. "That will do… quite well indeed."

"Then we shall proceed as such." Seteth carefully rose from his seat and bowed to Rhea. "I shall continue with my work. There is much that still needs to be done."

"I shall not keep you." Rhea promptly stood up, much to his surprise. "Perhaps I should take a walk myself."

"Are you certain that's a good idea?" Seteth asked.

"I've been needing some fresh air. Besides, I should take the chance to personally speak to some of our hopeful candidates," Rhea said with a serene smile.


	38. Chapter 38

Dedue sighed as he put out yet another fire in the kitchen, courtesy of Annette. Thankfully the Mess Hall was mostly empty this time, so he didn't have to also quell a panic. He was what many would call a patient man, but even he had his limits.

Especially when it came to the food. If he wasn't stopping his Highness from eating the damn weeds, then he was supervising his classmates in the kitchens.

"Please follow the recipe," Dedue said as he stopped Flayn from sneaking in a ghost pepper into the curry.

It wasn't as if he had much choice about whether or not he'd give them lessons at this point. If he didn't then he'd risk the entire Monastery and its inhabitants burned to the ground in a fiery inferno.

"But it would give it another layer of flavor!" Flayn argued.

"Follow the recipe," Dedue said more firmly this time.

Flavor was useless if the dish would end up igniting the mouths, and rears soon after, of anyone that tried to eat it.

The green haired girl gave Dedue her signature pout, but fortunately he had long since become immune to it. From an outsider's perspective it might seem rather cold hearted for him to refuse her but it had become necessary for the Monastery's survival.

Flayn wasn't a bad person by any means. She was kind, sometimes obliviously so, but she had a naivety that tended to cause trouble for those around her. It also didn't help that she could be surprisingly and unintentionally manipulative with the people that interacted with her.

Even Hubert had fallen victim if the stories of the Pegasus incident were to be believed.

It took some time, but eventually Flayn put the ghost pepper aside and began to chop up the onions as he had instructed. Once he was certain that she was occupied with this task and doing nothing else, Dedue went to Annette to make sure she didn't start yet another fire in the kitchen.

Unlike Flayn, who could be kept occupied by giving her simple yet repetitive tasks, Annette was more of a wild card. There were times when she would cook surprisingly well and there were times when she would force an evacuation of the entire building. There was no in between with her and that made being around her frightening.

Dedue glanced over Annette's back, not that that was particularly hard for him due to the difference in their height and looked at the ingredients laid out before her. Salt, pepper, chili powder, nothing too crazy, and the smell coming out of the shimmering pot was pleasant enough.

"Have you been tasting the curry?" he asked

"Yea," Annette took out a spoon, dipped it in the pot, and offered it to him. "I think it needs a little more salt though."

Dedue took the spoon and tasted the curry before nodding in agreement.

"Just add a few small pinches at most."

"Don't worry about making mistakes. Just focus on what's in front of you Annie," Mercedes commented from across the counter.

Dedue welcomed the kind woman's presence if only because it seemed to keep Annette in line.

"I got this Mercie," Annette replied, having been cheered up by her friend. "Ooh I can't wait for you to try it!"

"We're still a ways off from being done," Dedue cautioned as he grabbed the carrots and onions that Flayn had cut before adding them to the pot. "We'll need to adjust the seasoning as the ingredients cook."

"Why we can't just do the seasoning at the end when we've added everything?" Flayn asked

"It's best to season throughout each step of the cooking process, even if it's just only a bit. This ensures a deeper flavor," he explained.

"Seems a bit complicated for a simple curry," Lysithea commented from her seat next to Mercedes. Her head rested sideways on her arm as she laid on the table.

"No more complicated than what's required to cast a spell," Dedue said as he moved to help Flayn with the rest of the cutting. "Besides we need to be careful to adjust for the different tastes across the students and faculty."

"I still think you're putting in a lot of needless work. They should be thankful enough not to be picky when you're the one on cooking duty," Lysithea argued.

"Then perhaps I'll have to abandon my plans to make a portion of a sweet fruit infused curry."

"Never mind."

Dedue began chopping the onions that Flayn peeled. The stench of the bulbs was enough to get Flayn and Lysithea to start wiping the tears out of their eyes.

"I don't know how you can stand cutting those wretched things," Lysithea commented.

"You get used to it, though it does help to cook them a little beforehand," Dedue replied with nary a tear in his eyes. "And they have a good sweet flavor once caramelized and softened."

"I'm well aware of that. I just hate them when they're raw."

"Noted."

Dedue continued to supervise the two girls in the kitchen as the others watched. It was thankfully uneventful for the most part as they began to finish up cutting the rest of the meat.

"I really have to thank you for taking the time to teach Annie," Mercedes said with a smile on her face.

"I'm just doing as my Highness commanded," Dedue replied.

It was certainly unnerving to be separated from Dimitri for so long, but he wouldn't let that get in the way of his duty.

"It's still very thoughtful of you," Mercedes replied.

Dedue smirked. He couldn't really help it. It was hard not to be comforted by Mercedes's presence. Even the notably high strung white haired girl next to her seemed to relax near her.

Unlike Flayn, Mercedes was most certainly not naïve and yet she somehow remained kind. It was an unconditional kindness that was tempered by her experiences yet not completely lost by them, something that was so rare to find in these times and yet completely recognizable to the people around her.

"Perhaps you and I could try baking a cake sometime," Mercedes then offered, causing Lysithea to immediately perk up.

"Maybe," was Dedue's response.

"If you do two do happen to make a cake then I wouldn't find helping out," Lysithea said in a clear yet failed attempt to act casual. "It's a lot of work after all that I wouldn't want to force on the two of you."

Mercedes looked at the white haired girl with a knowing smile. "Of course. You can join us anytime."

"I thought I smelled curry," a gruff voice suddenly called out.

Everyone in the Mess Hall turned to find Jeralt. The Captain promptly passed the doorway and took a separate seat at the far corner of the counter a significant distance away from everyone else.

"It won't be ready for another hour," Dedue replied.

"Its fine I can wait," Jeralt waved them off and began drinking from a familiar flask.

"A bit early to drink, isn't it?" Lysithea commented with an eye raised.

"This isn't enough to get me drunk. Just helps me bide the time."

"I didn't know you liked curry that much," Mercedes said.

"Not so much me, but my kid."

"Really?" Annette, Flayn, and Lysithea asked simultaneously.

"He loves the stuff. Was always the first one to show up for a bowl whenever we had someone make it back at camp."

"I never thought he had a favorite food," Lysithea commented.

Jeralt scratched the back of his head. "He doesn't show it well, but I picked up a few things from raising him. Spicy and savory things are going to be your best bet at getting a reaction out of him."

"What about sweets?"

"Sweets are fine with tea. Nothing sour though. He'll take one bite and never touch it again."

Dedue, Mercedes, and Lysithea promptly filed this information away. No lemon cakes for the Professor then.

"So a savory and spicy curry for the Professor then," Dedue said out loud for Flayn and Annette to hear. "Any particular vegetables or meats he favors?"

"You know he isn't here right now?" Jeralt asked.

"I'm well aware," Dedue replied.

"Where is he anyway?" Annette asked.

* * *

"Edelgard! Lindhart! Hurry up the gate's about to close!"

"Why are the two of you so slow!?"

"Huff- I told you all- Huff- I'm not suited for running!"

"They aren't going to make it we need to do something now!"

"I've got this Professor!"

"Dimitri? What are you doing!?"

"My apologies El"

"PUT ME DOWN. AS THE HEIR TO THE EMPIRE I DEMAND THAT YOU-"

"Balthus catch!"

"DIMITRI!"

"Wait wha- YAAAH!"

"Ok before we do anything rash- Oh not me too!"

* * *

Jeralt shrugged. "Who knows. He's always off doing his own thing. He'll come back though, always does. Curry might go bad by then though."

"We can store it in a cooler or perhaps put it in stasis with magic if necessary. Besides it gets better if you let it sit for a day or two," Dedue replied.

"He likes onions and bear meat then…" Jeralt replied. "Probably don't have bear here so you could replace it with pork or chicken."

Dedue nodded.

"Understood"

"A shame. It's been a long time since I've partaken of a bear."

Another unexpected guest came in, though this voice was far more notable than the last.

Dedue remained stoic as Lady Rhea stepped into the Mess Hall and took a brief moment to give her a customary and polite bow. "

Welcome Archbishop."

Everyone else wasn't nearly as composed as he was. Jeralt's expression became stern, Annette dropped her spoon, Mercedes let out a surprised gasp, Lysithea stared with wide eyes, and Flayn smiled while waving a hand with a knife still in her grip. That last one was a safety hazard and one Dedue would have to chastise the green haired girl about later.

"Lady Rhea is fine," the Archbishop replied serenely as she too took a seat next to the counter. Hers though was about as far as Jeralt as she could get. There was a notable tension between the two and unfortunately both Lysithea and Mercedes were caught in the center of it.

"Why Lady Rhea. It's a pleasant surprise to see you here," Mercedes commented in an attempt to lighten the mood. "You grace us with your presence."

"I am merely a wanderer that happened to catch the smell of curry. In the end it is the Goddess that graces us all," Rhea replied as she crossed her hands on her lap. Even on a stool in the Mess Hall she sat in a regal and authoritarian way.

"You like curry?" Annette asked as she kneeled down to pick up her dropped spoon.

"It is a favorite of mine. I quite enjoy it." Rhea glanced at Jeralt. "It's been a long time since we've eaten curry together."

"There were… others, but it has been a long time," Jeralt replied with clear caution in his voice.

"Indeed. Perhaps we should do that again, and with your son when he returns."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jeralt replied noncommittedly. "You seem to be spending a lot of time with him anyway."

"He has led a very interesting life. His exploits of his times as a mercenary were quite enjoyable to listen to."

Dedue could agree, but the same could be said of the Captain in front of them. There was something else about the Professor that had caught the Archbishop's interest, something that even Dimitri had been wondering about.

"So uh… how do you like your curry?" Annette asked before an awkward silence could fill the room.

"I'll just take a portion of whatever you're making for the Professor," Rhea replied.

Jeralt grunted. "Make some extra for me too then."

Dedue nodded as he returned to helping Flayn and Annette finish the curry. It would be best to stay out of the way of whatever was going on between Jeralt and the Archbishop.

* * *

Unfortunately, Lysithea did not have much option but to stay seated between the Jeralt and Rhea. If she got up now it would likely be seen as rude.

Normally she wouldn't care about something like this, but well even she couldn't afford to do something to receive the ire of the Archbishop.

"So… how did the Professor learn magic in your company?" Lysithea decided to ask Jeralt in an attempt to bring up some sort of conversation. She wasn't sure what was happening in the Mess Hall, but the tension was thick enough that you could cut it with a knife. "He's quite self-sufficient for a mercenary if you also consider his skills with a blade."

Besides she was curious. Though the Professor preferred to use a sword she had seen a few instances where he had casted magic with a surprising efficiency.

Jeralt eyed Rhea carefully before answering.

"There were a few mages in the camp. He learned a few reason spells, simple but practical ones, in case he had to fight enemies in armor."

"What about faith magic? He seems quite capable in that," Lysithea commented.

"That… was something he picked up recently to be honest. Never seen him use a heal until he came here."

That piqued Lysithea's curiosity. Faith magic required a certain amount of piety in something… well anything really in order to be used. Faith in a deity, faith in oneself, or even faith in an ideal, this belief was what was necessary to delve into this school of magic. Granted it wasn't the only requirement, or else Hubert would've been a true savant in the art considering his worship of Edelgard, but it was certainly important to have.

"Perhaps he came upon his newfound gift once he had accepted the Goddess's faith," Rhea proposed.

The Professor never really seemed like the religious type, but then again that might explain why he would talk to himself all the time.

"Couldn't say. He's changed though since he came here…" Jeralt replied

"How so?" Mercedes asked.

"He's… happier I think. Actually tries to smile now at least," Jeralt admitted.

"I enjoy having the Professor at the Monastery," Flayn chirped as she joined them at the counter. "He always finds a way to make things interesting."

"That's not always a good thing kid," Jeralt told the green haired girl. "If things are boring then that usually means things are peaceful."

That captain shook his head.

"And things haven't been boring for a long time now," he muttered to himself.

"That is true," Rhea admitted. "But the Monastery has become brighter with his presence. I hope to have his and yours continued service."

"We'll see. It depends on what my kid wants," Jeralt replied.

The Archbishop nodded having apparently accepted his anwer before turning to Lysithea. "Have you yourself considered working with the Church once you graduate?"

Flayn immediately lit up upon hearing those words while Jeralt squinted his eyes.

Lysithea froze and stared at the Archbishop cautiously.

"Are you offering me a position in the Church?"

Rhea nodded.

"Why?"

"Seteth and Flayn have said much in your praise," the archbishop replied.

"We have!" Flayn said and leaned closer to Lysithea. "There's so much we could do if you were to start working here and we'll certainly treat you well for what you've done for us."

Lysithea gulped despite how dry her mouth had become. It was a surprise to receive this offer and not a pleasant one at that.

"I appreciate the offer," she said while cautiously picking her words. "But I have to decline."

Rhea seemed nonplussed by the rejection. "Might I ask why?"

"I have my family to consider on top of my responsibilities to House Ordelia. There's a lot I must do and I believe those obligations will keep me too busy to be of much use to you."

"The church can assist you with those responsibilities. Whether you choose to continue ruling those lands or give them up."

Lysithea paused for a brief second.

"And how would the Church help with the latter?" she asked.

"If you were to give up your position then the Church would ensure a smooth transition of your lands and people to another noble of the Alliance. We would also ensure that your family remains comfortable and that you would be well financed in your pursuits," Rhea replied.

"And I'd imagine Seteth would've told you what those pursuits are."

Lysithea was no fool. Though she had grown to learn about the kinder and wiser side of Seteth, she also knew how infallibly loyal he was to Rhea. Anything she had told him would've gone straight to the Archbishop.

"He has," Rhea admitted.

"And you would also be aware of my… condition."

"We have many people researching into your particular situation. Though I can't guarantee how quickly we will reach any conclusive results, but your contribution would certainly help it progress."

Lysithea clasped her hands.

"In conclusion if I were to work with the Church you would help me in dissolving House Ordelia, put further resources into researching my condition, and allow me to pursue my other… goals."

Rhea nodded.

"Indeed."

"And why would you be so generous to someone like me?"

Rhea smiled, though this one wasn't the serene one she usually gave to others. The smile the Archbishop gave now was tinged with malice in both the lips and eyes.

"Because I believe we have a common enemy, and wouldn't you say they deserve the same fate as anyone who goes against the Goddess?" The archbishop asked.

"I think they deserve a fate worse than that," Lysithea replied.

Death and execution, that was too easy. Best that they suffer to the point that they would be begging for Goddess's embrace.

And it seemed that Rhea agreed with that too judging by the satisfied expression on her face.

"The Goddess forgives all, but you are correct that we do not have to be so merciful."

The archbishop relaxed herself in order to appear more welcoming.

"So, what do you think about my offer now?" Rhea asked.

"I think…" Lysithea replied thoughtfully. "That you've given me much to consider. Might I take some time to think about it?"

"Of course. This offer will remain open all the way until your graduation."


End file.
